Katherine Rosen 1921

George Bellows made this portrait of Katherine Rosen sometime in the early 20th century, with oil on canvas. I love how Bellows builds the form, layer after layer. There's a real softness, especially in her face and hands. He’s not trying to hide the way the paint sits on the surface, it’s almost like the paint is breathing. Look at the folds of her dress, that greyish, shimmering material, how it pools around her feet. You can almost feel the weight and texture of the fabric, while other parts seem to disappear into the background. There’s a real push and pull, light and dark, here. Bellows reminds me of Manet, the way he uses blacks and browns to create such depth, but also allows the painting to remain a flat, almost abstract surface. Ultimately, it's this conversation between representation and abstraction that keeps me coming back to paintings like this, time and again.