Nude with Calla Lilies 1944

Diego Rivera made Nude with Calla Lilies with oil on canvas; what strikes me is how he seems to caress the surface. It's like he's building this world, stroke by stroke, with a kind of loving attention. Look at the way the color is handled – the skin tones, the creamy whites of the lilies, all built up with these delicate, almost granular touches. The texture isn't smooth or blended; you can feel the presence of the paint, the hand of the artist. The lilies themselves feel like these monumental, almost architectural forms. They're not just flowers; they're like these solid blocks of light and shadow. And that nude figure – she's like a part of the landscape, connected to the flowers, the earth, everything. It reminds me of Frida Kahlo, not just because they were partners, but because of that shared sense of rootedness and connection to the world. It's painting as a way of feeling, of being in the world.