Anton Caspar Rudolph Dreesmann 1912

Thérèse Schwartze painted this portrait of Anton Caspar Rudolph Dreesmann in 1912, and what strikes me is how she handles paint like it's clay, subtly sculpting the forms with layers of semi-transparent color. It's a dance between revealing and concealing. The dark hues, punctuated by the crimson of the chair, create a somber, almost weighty atmosphere, but then there’s that creamy white hat, casually held in his hand, like a splash of irreverence. Look at the texture of his face; it’s not just a smooth surface but a landscape of brushstrokes that capture the nuances of skin and bone, light and shadow. It reminds me of the way Alice Neel fearlessly laid down paint, capturing not just a likeness, but a presence. Art’s not about answers, it’s about the ongoing conversation, the endless possibilities of seeing and feeling.