Young woman 1947

George Pemba made this painting of a young woman with oils, and you can see how he’s gone in with these energetic, almost scratchy marks to describe her. It’s like he’s drawing with the paint. I love the way the ochres and earth tones mix with brighter yellows and reds. Look at how the paint has been applied – not trying to hide the brushstrokes, but letting them dance across the surface. It’s loose, immediate. See how the planes of her face and the folds of her headscarf are built up with these small touches of colour, little dabs of light and shadow. There’s a directness to the gaze of the sitter, a real presence in the way Pemba’s captured her. For me, this piece has something in common with Alice Neel, in its ability to catch the spirit of a person with such bold, expressive paint handling. Ultimately, art is a conversation, where artists build on each other's ideas, offering new ways of seeing and feeling.