Stehende Zigeunerin Mit Kind 1926

Otto Mueller made this painting of a Roma woman and child with distemper on canvas. Look at how the paint seems to have been pushed around, rubbed in, and almost scrubbed onto the surface, giving it this cool matte finish. There’s a real softness to the whole thing, like a memory or a dream. And yet, the medium is so physical, you can feel the artist at work, pushing the pigment around. The colours are muted, earthy, with these soft pinks and greens that create a kind of harmony. Then you spot the sunflower to the left, with its big leaves and bright yellow petals, that draws your eye and makes you wonder about its connection to the figures, perhaps hinting at the mother’s nurturing spirit. Mueller was part of Die Brücke, and you can see that influence here, but also something else, something uniquely his own. It reminds me a bit of Paula Modersohn-Becker, with that same interest in portraying everyday life with such quiet intensity.