Anne with a Gladiolus 1991

Avigdor Arikha made "Anne with a Gladiolus" with loose, sketchy marks of pastel, and the strokes give it an almost unfinished look. I can imagine him stepping back, squinting, adding a bit of blue there, a touch of red here. Anne sits, arms crossed, a gladiolus standing tall beside her like a silent companion. It's like Arikha's trying to capture a fleeting moment, the way light hits her face, the texture of her hair. There's this realness in the sketchiness, a sense of immediacy. The whole composition feels like it’s emerging, as if he’s coaxing it into being. Arikha reminds me of other artists who were more interested in the process than the product. He’s probably asking himself, “How can I make this thing feel alive?” You can feel him thinking, experimenting. These paintings are kind of like a conversation between artists, an ongoing dialogue through time, inspiring and challenging one another. It's not about having all the answers, but about embracing the questions.