Female Model 1913

Lyubov Popova made this painting, Female Model, with oil on canvas. It looks like she started with the idea of a figure, but then the forms broke apart into shapes. It’s like she’s asking, what makes up a body, what makes up a painting? I can imagine her, brush in hand, thinking through these questions. You know, pushing and pulling the paint around, layering it on and scraping it off, making decisions, changing her mind. The colors are so intriguing – these muted greens, yellows, and reds that create a kind of tension. The dark shades in the background make it look like the painting is pushing against the edges. It makes you think about Russian Constructivism and how artists were trying to build a new visual language. In a way, it feels like a conversation.