Girl with Blaze 1991

Louisa Matthiasdottir made this painting, Girl with Blaze, with oil on canvas, sometime in the twentieth century. The brushstrokes are so direct, so committed, it feels like she barely hesitated. I think she's saying, look, art is a decision, a bold move, and I'm not going to fuss about it. The way she smushes the paint, like in that vibrant green hill behind the girl, it’s as if she’s building up the land right there on the canvas. And the colors! That deep, almost bruised purple of the mountains, juxtaposed against the cool blues and greens, creates this incredible tension. Notice the dog’s face and how she's dabbed those spots of brown and white to suggest form and texture without getting bogged down in detail. It’s so economical, so confident. Matthiasdottir reminds me a bit of Fairfield Porter in her love for the everyday and her commitment to paint as a way of seeing and feeling. There's an honesty and an intimacy here, like we're being invited into a very private, very real moment.