Donna al caffè 1931

Antonio Donghi made this portrait, "Donna al caffè" or "Woman at the Cafe," with oil paint. He painted her with incredible precision and stillness. I imagine Donghi thinking hard about the woman’s stillness. He probably wanted to show her self-possession. Look at the colors – muted greens, browns, yellows, and black. The paint is so smooth it’s almost like she’s been captured in a photograph. See the way she sits so upright? So alert? She is wearing a dark green dress and a black beret and the forms are sharply defined. The way Donghi captured light is also important. There's a soft light on her face that makes her skin glow, like she is lit from within. Donghi was certainly looking at the work of other painters from the period. But here, his interest is in creating something of his own, which speaks to a uniquely modern idea of what it means to be an individual. Donghi has offered his own vision, one that continues to resonate with viewers today.