Mädchenporträt 1914

Leo Putz, sometime between 1869 and 1940, made this painting of a girl with oil on canvas. I’m wondering if he’s in love with this girl? He’s definitely fascinated by her skin, and how the light hits it, so pink and alive. I can almost feel the movement of his hand as he worked, building up the surface with layers of thick paint. You can see his struggle to capture the fall of light and shadow on her face, the way he keeps going back, adding and subtracting, until he gets it just right. Those autumnal yellow leaves are amazing, aren’t they? Each brushstroke feels like a little burst of energy. It's like he’s having a conversation with painters like Renoir or early Kandinsky, riffing on their ideas but also pushing them in his own direction. And, of course, he must have studied people like Manet and Monet. Painters are always talking to each other, you know?