Portrait of Feliks Jasieński 1907

Olga Boznanska painted this portrait of Feliks Jasieński, probably in oil, with the kind of intuitive dabbing of color that makes a painting breathe. The painting feels like it came together gradually, bit by bit. I can imagine Boznanska standing back, squinting, then moving in close again, trying to capture something elusive about her sitter. There’s a softness to the whole thing, especially around the edges. It feels like she was interested in capturing a mood more than a likeness. There's a kind of muted tone, mostly earth colors, punctuated by the blue of the chair and the glimmers of light on the figure's face. The hands are particularly lovely – just a few strokes, but they convey so much. Boznanska was part of a generation of painters who were pushing the boundaries of representation, exploring what painting could do beyond just recording what's in front of you. I see her work in conversation with painters like Whistler and Sargent, artists who were equally interested in capturing a fleeting moment, a mood, a feeling, rather than a perfect image. And isn't that what painting is all about? An artist's embodied expression and ongoing dialogue with the world.