Portrait Of Ira P 1930

This is Tamara de Lempicka’s ‘Portrait Of Ira P’. I can only imagine how, standing at the easel, she built up the composition stroke by stroke, the image slowly solidifying into the subject that we see before us. Look at the way she's handled that dress - almost sculpted. The light glides across its surface, the subtle greys and whites giving form to the curves of the body. I feel that Lempicka is pushing the boundaries of representation here, almost daring to veer into abstraction. Her subject's gaze, a curious sideways glance, is framed by fiery red flowers and the angular backdrop. It reminds me of Picasso's portraits, a bold and confident geometry playing with the figure. Perhaps Lempicka, like many artists, was in conversation with him, taking up a visual challenge that stretches across time. A new perspective, emerging out of shared inspirations.