Georg Brandes 1925

Lovis Corinth's portrait of Georg Brandes is a whirlwind of oil paint, capturing a fleeting impression rather than a static likeness. Corinth lays down marks with real speed. He doesn’t allow the paint to become overworked. The surface is alive, full of texture. The brushstrokes around Brandes's jacket are particularly energetic. Green and yellow dance together. Zooming in, you can almost feel the bristles of the brush as they flicked across the canvas, building up a complex web of color and form. This isn't about smooth blending; it's about the pure, unadulterated joy of applying paint. It reminds me of some of Beckmann’s portraits. Both artists embrace a raw, almost confrontational approach to portraiture, where the act of painting itself becomes as important as the subject. It's a reminder that art is not about perfect representation, but about the messy, beautiful process of seeing and feeling.