Portrait of Roman Selsky 1970

Margit Selska made this painting, Portrait of Roman Selsky, with visible marks and a limited color palette, probably in her studio. There's a tangible sense of artmaking as a process here. Looking at the material aspects, like the paint itself, you can see how Selska explored texture. The paint isn't applied to disappear; it's there, thick in places, creating a surface that's far from smooth. The color range is narrow—ochres, blues, yellows—but within that, she finds so much variation. Take, for instance, the way she renders the light on his face, half shadowed, half illuminated. It's not just about light and shadow; it’s about the act of seeing and representing what she sees. There’s a rawness to it, an honesty about the medium. This reminds me of someone like Alice Neel, who also wasn't afraid to show the messy, human side of her subjects. This piece embraces ambiguity, inviting multiple readings rather than offering fixed meanings.