Damenporträt 1912

Leo Putz painted this portrait of a woman with oil on canvas. I love how the cool grays and blues in the background make the warm tones of her face pop. It's almost like he's saying, "Hey, look here!" This isn't a photorealistic painting. You can see the brushstrokes, the way the paint's been laid on. He doesn't hide the process. It's very up front. Look at the little dab of yellow on her chest. It's nothing, but it adds such a spark. It almost feels like it has been added as an afterthought. I love the way the shadows around the woman’s eyes have been rendered – it’s so evocative! The overall effect is not quite serious, but more like a quirky snapshot of someone you may pass on the street. It reminds me of some of those early portraits by Paula Modersohn-Becker, intimate and not overly fussy. Art is just one big conversation, isn't it?