A Boba 1916

Anita Malfatti made this painting, A Boba, at an unknown date, with these raw, bold marks. The colors—greens, yellows, blues—they clash and sing together. It feels like Malfatti was searching, figuring things out as she went, right there on the canvas. I can imagine her wrestling with the portrait, pushing and pulling the paint, trying to capture something essential about her sitter. The thick lines of the chair and the face are so direct, so unapologetic. It’s like she’s saying, “Here it is, take it or leave it.” The way she’s handled the color reminds me a little of the Fauves, but with its own South American twist. It makes me think about how artists build on each other's ideas, transforming them into something new. It's a reminder that painting is always in conversation with itself, a continuous back-and-forth across time.