Head of a Peasant Woman 1903

Paula Modersohn-Becker made this small, intimate painting with oil on canvas, using muted tones and visible brushstrokes. I like to imagine Paula in front of her canvas, head cocked to one side, trying to capture the essence of this woman. The paint is applied in layers, giving the face texture and depth. See how the strokes around the eyes and mouth suggest a life lived, etched into the skin, like when you can read someone’s character. Modersohn-Becker has captured that so well here. It's the kind of portrait that feels both personal and universal. Like you might see a version of this painting in a collection by Van Gogh or Munch. These artists were all in dialogue, wrestling with similar questions: what does it mean to be human, and how can painting capture that? As viewers, we bring our own experiences to the canvas, adding new layers of interpretation. That is something artists can't predict but maybe secretly hope for.