Mother and Child 1927

Palmov’s "Mother and Child" is all about the earthiness of being, the ochres and muted greens like a world seen through soil. You can almost feel him pressing the paint onto the canvas, smearing and building up layers to find these forms. I wonder what Palmov was thinking, locked in his studio, trying to coax forth this image of mother and child. There’s a deep tenderness but also a struggle, like the paint itself is fighting him. Look at the way the red scarf pops against her face and how the baby's hands clutch at her. It's not a sweet Madonna, but real, human, and visceral. It reminds me a bit of Paula Modersohn-Becker, also mining the depths of motherhood with a similar palette. We artists are all just talking to each other across time, aren't we? Trying to figure out how to make this crazy world visible, one gesture at a time.