Drei Sitzende Zigeunermädchen Im Wald 1928

Otto Mueller made this painting of three Roma girls in the woods with distemper on canvas. The earthy colors, browns, ochres, and grays, laid on with such simple marks, give an immediate sense of place and intimacy. The surface is really something - so matte, so dry. It feels like the figures and the landscape are emerging from the very stuff of the earth. Look at the way the white of the plant in the foreground is scraped on, almost like a kid drawing with a crayon. It's so direct, so unpretentious. You can feel Mueller's hand, his touch, in every stroke. This approach to making art reminds me of Paula Modersohn-Becker, another German artist who was interested in depicting the lives of ordinary people. Both artists seem to have a similar intention of connecting with their subjects on a human level, embracing a sense of vulnerability and imperfection in their art. It's this quality that makes their work so compelling and timeless, don't you think?