Laundress 1902

Pasquale Celommi painted this laundress, probably in oils, with a rosy palette, full of warmth and earthy tones. Can you imagine the studio filled with the smell of oil paint, the mixing, the brushstrokes? There she is, up to her elbows in soapy water, those hands working hard. I wonder what Celommi was thinking as he painted her. Was he capturing a fleeting moment, or did she sit for him, pausing from her work? The folds and creases of her dress, the glisten of water, the subtle textures – these details show a real engagement with the materiality of paint. Look at how her gaze meets ours – almost flirtatious, full of life. It reminds me of Courbet, of Manet – these artists who engaged with the real world, not just some idealized version of it. Painting is like having a conversation with the whole history of art, bouncing ideas and techniques off of one another, each artist building on what came before. We all learn from each other, pushing the boundaries of what painting can do, embracing the mess and the uncertainty.