Young wife keeping apples 1934

Istvan Nagy made this painting of a woman holding apples, and you can see how the colours are built up using hatched pastel strokes. There's something both delicate and powerful in that approach. I love how the pastel feels almost like a chalky veil, softening the whole scene. Look at the way he’s built up the colours in layers – the blues and greens under the white of her blouse, the ochre and brown of her skin. The apples are almost glowing in her hands, offering nourishment and life, contrasting with the darkness behind her, which is like an unformed void. The way he uses colour feels very intuitive, and there's something about the directness of the marks that feels both honest and vulnerable. Nagy reminds me of Paula Modersohn-Becker, another painter who was interested in the lives of rural women. It feels like I'm seeing a window into another world, and art is all about the ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time.