Torso / Ritmo 1915

Anita Malfatti made this artwork, Torso / Ritmo, with oil on canvas. I love the way Malfatti uses the oil paint here, because it feels like she's not trying to hide the process at all. I mean, look at the texture! You can practically feel the drag of the brush across the canvas. It's like she's saying, "Yeah, I made this, and here's how." And the colors, those warm yellows and oranges against the cool blues and grays, just sing! It's a brave move to leave so much raw canvas showing through. It creates this sense of immediacy, like the painting is still in the process of becoming. It reminds me a bit of some of the early expressionists, like Kirchner, who were also interested in capturing raw emotion and energy on canvas. Art's just an ongoing conversation, isn't it? A beautiful, messy, never-ending exchange of ideas. And, like, who needs fixed meanings anyway?