Portrait of a young girl 1939

This large painting of a young girl with a tree, of which the date is unknown, was made by Romualdo Locatelli with oil on canvas. I can only imagine him, brush in hand, stepping back, squinting, adding a dab of color here, a stroke there, as the image slowly takes shape. You can almost feel the warmth of the sun on the girl's skin. Locatelli is known for his portraits of people from Southeast Asia and Africa, and you see the influence of artists like Gauguin, but it's also clear that he had his own take on things. The way he handles the paint, so loose and free, is very different from the tight academic style that was popular at the time. The girl's dark eyes look right at you. You wonder what she's thinking, what her life is like. It makes you think about all the things that connect us, no matter where we come from. It's a reminder that painting is a conversation between artists and across time, and how looking at art can open up your mind and your heart.