Uma estudante 1916

Anita Malfatti made this portrait, ‘Uma estudante’, with oil paint, and you can really feel the process. There’s no hiding here, just the artist figuring it out as she goes, like a visual diary entry. I love how she uses color to build form; see how that yellow in her shirt isn’t just yellow? It’s got greens and whites mixed in, giving it this vibrating energy. And the brushstrokes! They're loose and confident, not trying to smooth things over, but letting the texture of the paint speak. Take a look at the students' face, especially around the eyes; those daubs of pink and red aren't about realism, but about capturing something deeper, a raw emotion maybe? It reminds me a bit of Paula Modersohn-Becker, that same fearlessness in the face of representation, that willingness to let the paint do its thing. And like all great art, it’s not about answers, but about opening up a space for questions.