Young Woman in Interior 1947

Francisc Sirato made this painting, Young Woman in Interior, with oil on canvas and lots of verve, a painterly kind of confidence. The approach to mark making is all about directness. The color palette is warm. There’s a dominant reddish-orange that creates a mood that’s both cozy and maybe a little restless. The paint is applied with visible brushstrokes, thick in places, like the folds of the woman’s dress and the shadows of the chair, which gives everything a really tactile quality. The way Sirato handles the paint reminds me a little of Bonnard, that is, a focus on the domestic realm. I keep coming back to the light on the woman’s legs, the way the pale highlights suggest the form. It’s like Sirato is saying, hey, I see you, sitting there, reading, existing in this moment. It feels very tender, very human. It’s not a grand statement, just a quiet observation, beautifully rendered. And for me, that’s what art is all about.