Child in Red Coat 1930

Bertalan Pór made this oil painting of a child in a red coat, probably in the early twentieth century. Look at the thick strokes of paint that build up the girl's face and her bright red coat. It's like Pór is trying to figure out what it means to see this particular person in front of him. I imagine Pór, brush in hand, trying to capture a fleeting expression, a certain mood. There's something touchingly vulnerable about the way he renders the child's features, the slightly uneven eyes, the pursed lips. I think he’s caught between wanting to show her as she is, and the desire to make a beautiful picture. It’s a reminder that artists are always in conversation with each other across time, taking up problems and approaches. Ultimately, painting embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations and meanings.