Female Model 1913

Lyubov Popova made this oil on canvas titled 'Female Model,' and what strikes me right away is her exploration of form through a cubist lens, like she's building a world from geometric blocks. Popova plays with the materiality of paint, using thin layers in some areas to create depth, and thicker strokes in others. See that ochre triangle toward the lower right of the composition? How its placement and tone create a sense of three-dimensionality, like a beam of light? The brushwork is loose, allowing the texture of the canvas to peek through. I find myself getting lost in the nuances of color and texture. Popova’s journey from figurative work to abstraction echoes the path taken by other Russian avant-garde artists like Malevich. Her deconstruction of the figure into abstract forms is a radical gesture, one that challenges our preconceived notions of representation and invites us to see the world anew.