Portrait of a Child with a Steiff Lion 1927

Philip Alexius de László painted this portrait of a child with a Steiff lion in 1927, probably with oil paint. The way he's used color here is fascinating, like he's trying to capture not just what's there, but also the feeling of light and shadow playing across surfaces. Look at the child’s dress, it's almost like de László is sculpting with thin washes of blue and white. You can almost feel the softness of the fabric. The paint isn’t overworked; it’s like he’s letting the materials speak for themselves. And that Steiff lion! There's a looseness and energy in those brushstrokes. It reminds me a little of someone like John Singer Sargent in how he captures likeness and emotion, but László’s got his own thing going on. You get the sense that artmaking is an ongoing conversation. It's not about perfection, but about capturing a moment, a feeling, an idea. Isn't it cool how a painting can do all that?