Julie Bruhns Kahle (Mrs. Marcell Kahle) 1925 - 1926

Cecilia Beaux created this portrait of Julie Bruhns Kahle with oil on canvas. You can almost feel the brushstrokes, right? I think about Beaux standing in front of her canvas, mixing those muted greens and pinks, trying to capture not just what Mrs. Kahle looked like, but also something about her presence. The softness of the light, the way her hands are posed, holding her glasses. There’s a delicate balance between capturing likeness and imbuing it with something more, maybe some kind of truth? That floral wallpaper! It is painted so freely. I bet Beaux struggled with the hands, hands are always difficult, and the challenge of rendering a three-dimensional form on a flat surface. Painters are always looking at other painters. I wonder if Beaux ever looked at Manet? Degas? All these artists, we’re all in conversation, riffing off each other’s ideas, and inspiring each other. Each painting is just one moment in that long, beautiful, messy conversation.