My Father 1937

Carlos Botelho painted “My Father” with oils, and you can almost feel the push and pull of the brush as he worked. The colors are dusky, like twilight – blues and browns – giving it a kind of subdued drama. Look at the way the paint is laid on so thick! It’s almost sculptural, giving the surface a real presence. You can see how the brushstrokes follow the form, like on his father’s face, where each dab of color helps to build the contours and capture his expression. The hands are wonderful, so solid! It’s like looking at a slightly off-kilter cousin of Van Gogh, especially the way Botelho uses color to create depth and mood. It reminds us that art is one big conversation, with artists borrowing, responding, and riffing off each other across time. And that's what makes it so endlessly fascinating.