Portrait of Lena Milius 1915

Theo van Doesburg painted this portrait of Lena Milius with oil on canvas, but when exactly, nobody seems to know! It's a portrait, but it feels like the process of painting is just as important as the likeness. Look how the paint sits on the surface, not trying to hide itself. There's texture, right? It's not about smooth illusionism. I'm drawn to the shadow on the left, a sort of purple smudge that feels both deliberate and accidental. It's a shape, but it's also just paint, doing its own thing. And see how the green of her dress isn't trying to be fabric, it’s just green-ness, thick and earthy. Van Doesburg was part of the De Stijl group. Mondrian was his friend, and you can see how he too wanted to get down to basics, but without going the whole hog. The painting feels caught between representation and abstraction. Like art is always in conversation with itself, questioning what it can be.