Lunch (the Soup, Version I) 1910

Albin Egger-Lienz created this painting, "Lunch (the Soup, Version I)", with oils, and the subdued tones feel somehow appropriate to the subject matter. Artmaking, in a way, is about this capturing of real life. I find myself drawn to the texture of the paint, especially on the white tablecloth and the workers’ shirts. Thick impasto gives the fabric a tangible presence, almost as if you could reach out and touch the rough weave, you can almost smell the starch. Look at the way the light catches the peaks of the brushstrokes, adding depth and dimension to an otherwise simple scene. It's not about perfect rendering, but the feeling of the thing. The hunched figures remind me of Käthe Kollwitz, another artist who was deeply concerned with the lives of working-class people. But where Kollwitz’s work is often stark and graphic, Egger-Lienz offers a more intimate, almost tender portrayal. Art is about seeing, about feeling, about connection.