Motif from Paris 1907

Olga Boznanska made this painting, Motif from Paris, with oil paint, probably in the late 19th or early 20th century. What strikes me is how she’s used these layered strokes to build up not just a picture of the city, but the feeling of it. Look at how the paint is worked, thick in some places, thin in others, almost like she’s wiping it away, revealing the canvas underneath. There’s a real push and pull between abstraction and representation here. Take the block of buildings at the top. Are they solid, or are they dissolving into the atmosphere? I love the way Boznanska captures the transient, ever-changing nature of urban life, as if the city itself is a work in progress. Boznanska makes me think of other painters like Whistler, who were also interested in capturing the mood and atmosphere of the modern city. All these painters remind us that art isn't just about depicting reality. It's about how we experience it.