Seated Female Nude 1908 - 1909

Karl Isakson’s ‘Seated Female Nude’ is rendered with oil paint in shades of grey, black and white. I see the artist circling around the subject, smudging and blurring, building it up and then wiping it back. There's a real sense of the painting emerging, almost reluctantly, as if the artist is coaxing it into being. I wonder what Isakson was thinking as he painted. The nude is so present, yet somehow distant, like a memory fading at the edges. I’m drawn to the way the paint is applied – in some areas it's almost scrubbed onto the canvas, while in others it's smoother, more deliberate. That contrast gives the painting a real sense of tension, a kind of push and pull that keeps your eye moving. It’s like he’s in a conversation with the greats, like Manet or even Whistler, and he's bringing his own voice to the table. Painting’s not about answers; it’s about the ongoing discussion. Each stroke of the brush, each layer of color is a question, an invitation to keep looking and thinking.