Vajda Lajos Anna Margit Portré 1930, Ceruza Papír, 33x31.5cm 1930

Vajda Lajos made this portrait of Anna Margit in 1930 with pencil on paper. It's interesting, isn't it? Imagine Vajda Lajos, hunched over this paper, carefully building up the image with line after line. Those delicate strokes around the eyes, the firm marks defining the jaw—they weren't just copying what they saw. It was a conversation, a give-and-take between the artist and the subject. There's something about the way the lines define the form, not quite realistic but full of feeling. And that blue pendant, just a small dab of colour, but it brings the whole piece to life. You know, looking at this portrait makes me think about all the different ways artists have tried to capture a likeness, a feeling, a truth about another person. From Holbein to Alice Neel, it’s all part of the same ongoing conversation. It is so beautiful! And I feel, as a painter, a part of it.