Portrait d’Ignacio Zuloaga 1900 - 1904

Jacques-Émile Blanche painted this portrait of Ignacio Zuloaga, another painter, in what looks like a flurry of earth tones. I wonder if Blanche felt any pressure painting another painter? I see a man with a very poised mustache at work, with a brush in his hand and a palette of browns, grays, and reds. The surface texture looks smooth and blended, but I bet if you get up close, you can see the individual brushstrokes, each one carefully placed to build up the image. It looks as though it might have emerged through trial, error, and intuition. It reminds me of Whistler's portraits. There is a dialogue between artists of all times, a constant conversation, each inspiring and influencing the other's creativity. Painting is an embodied form of expression, which embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.