Hugo Reisinger 1907

Anders Zorn made this portrait of Hugo Reisinger with oil on canvas, and you can just imagine the slosh of the brush and the smell of the paint. The painting is all about how to make a person appear to be a person through the act of representation. Zorn’s marks build the form – look at those fluid brushstrokes defining the face and the beard, so alive with detail, yet so simple in their application. And the colors! They're mostly muted tones, browns, and blacks, giving a sense of formality. But then, there's this little pop of color in the face, which brings a sense of life to the whole thing. I wonder what Zorn was thinking as he painted the portrait. What did he want to convey about Reisinger? I see a man of stature, sure, but also maybe a hint of something else, something private. Like all good painters, Zorn is in conversation with other painters, past and present, learning from them, reacting to them, and pushing the boundaries of what painting can do. It's all about exchange, about one artist inspiring another.