Portret van een onbekende Japanse vrouw 1886 - 1940

Ivo Puhonny made this portrait of an unknown Japanese woman with paint and paper. Just look at the smooth, flat surface and the way the colours have been laid down! You can really imagine Puhonny carefully applying each layer, building up the image bit by bit, with precision and intention. I can imagine him trying to capture the woman’s essence through a muted colour palette. See how the lines create the subtle shading on her face and the intricate details of her hair. It reminds me of other artists like Matisse, who were fascinated by pattern and decoration. What a wonderful expression of seeing, thinking, and feeling about someone he may have never met, or maybe he did. It’s like Puhonny is having a conversation with them across time.