Standing Female Nude 1909 - 1910

Vilhelm Hammershøi painted this "Standing Female Nude" with oil, probably around the turn of the last century. I'm immediately struck by the subdued palette and the way the paint seems to almost dissolve into the canvas. You can sense how he's searching for the form. It's like he is building it up from nothing. Look closely, and you'll see how Hammershøi layers thin washes of paint to create a sense of depth and atmosphere, especially in the background. It's not about a flashy surface or bravura brushwork; instead, it feels like he's after something more elusive and internal. There's a vulnerability in the figure's pose, a kind of quiet introspection. The way she hangs her head, it feels both sensual and melancholic. The ghostliness of the painting feels reminiscent of Whistler's tonalist works, in the way it strives for an emotional register beyond literal representation. It invites a meditative experience, which is one of the things that I love about art: its capacity to evoke feelings that can be hard to put into words.