Stehende Zigeunerkinder 1927

Otto Mueller painted these standing Roma children sometime in the early 20th century, probably using tempera or distemper on canvas. Look at that surface quality, chalky and matte, like a fresco. I can imagine Mueller working on this, maybe outside, trying to capture the feel of the figures. I'm struck by the composition – how the figures are arranged almost like a frieze. There is the flatness of the picture plane, with a sense of depth hinted at with color and light. There’s something about the color that gets to me – these ochres, pinks, and reds. They feel so human, so warm. I’m thinking of other artists who painted Roma people at the time like Kees van Dongen, but Mueller brings a different eye to his subjects, a tenderness. It feels like this painting could only be made by Mueller, yet you can see shades of Gauguin and Matisse in there, too. That's how it goes, this conversation we call art.