Liegender Halbakt c. 1908

Adolf Hölzel made this painting, Liegender Halbakt, with what looks like oil paint, and maybe a palette knife going by those thick impasto marks. It's all about how those materials get pushed around, right? Check out the area just above the bed on the right, see how the paint has this chunky, creamy quality? It's not trying to hide anything, it's all about the surface, the physicality of the medium. And look at the different blues, browns and greens. These aren't blended perfectly; they’re kind of fighting each other for space. It’s like Hölzel is letting us see his process, not giving us a smooth illusion, but showing us the bumps and the starts and stops. I feel like there's a conversation happening with someone like Courbet, but with Hölzel, it's less about the ideal nude and more about the act of painting itself. The painting isn't presenting some smooth surface, it’s embracing its own messiness.