Italian Woman in a Yellow Chair 1912

Lovis Corinth painted this oil on canvas, "Italian Woman in a Yellow Chair," in 1917. The colors are rich, but kind of muddied. You know, like when you mix all the colors together? Imagine Corinth in his studio, wrestling with the image, trying to capture the way the light hits the figure, the curve of the body. How do you even start to paint the way a body rests? See how the brushstrokes build up, thick in some places, thin in others? It’s almost like he's sculpting with paint, pushing and pulling to create the shape. Look at that big hat, practically swallowing her whole. The flower details are exquisite, and that's saying something! Painters are always in conversation with each other, riffing off the past, pushing towards something new. And when we look at paintings, we join that conversation, bringing our own experiences to the mix. There's no right or wrong way to see it.