Amalie Zuckerkandl 1917

Gustav Klimt made this portrait of Amalie Zuckerkandl, and it’s like he’s showing us his working. The pastel-y greens of the background create this space, and the delicate pinks and blues in the lower left feel so provisional, like they might just float away. There are passages of raw canvas, and the underdrawing is all over the place, which can either feel unfinished or super-honest, like a glimpse into Klimt's process. Look at the lower half. It’s all preparatory lines, like Klimt is thinking out loud with his pencil. The tension between these areas and the relatively 'finished' face is electric. It’s like he’s saying, "Here’s the real stuff, the making of the thing." It reminds me a little of Manet, in that he would leave areas unresolved. It suggests that paintings aren’t just objects, but records of a journey. They are places to embrace the beauty of uncertainty.