Rosa Schapire 1920

Walter Gramatté made this portrait of Rosa Schapire with pastels, resulting in this beautiful colour palette of blues, greens and oranges. I wonder what the process of making this was like for Gramatté? I imagine him drawing and redrawing the lines to find the right form, as you can see from the many lines around her face. Was he happy with it? Did she like it? The face looks so serious, framed by soft white hair. I'm drawn to the colours he’s chosen, especially the blue of her face which feels both strange and intimate. And the orange brooch at her neck creates a focal point, drawing the eye. There is an interesting dialogue between the angular lines that make up her chair and the soft, sweeping lines that make up the leaves of the plant to her side. Painting, like life, is often a balancing act - in conversation with one another and with artists from the past, as well as those yet to come. Each mark an artist makes can open up new possibilities.