Bildnis Des Vaters Des Künstlers 1905

Albin Egger-Lienz, whoever he was, painted this portrait of his Dad, using these very earthy tones and subdued greens, and it feels like he’s really working it out as he goes, figuring it out right there on the canvas. I can imagine him thinking about the old man, what he meant to him, how to capture his essence. You can see it in the thick strokes around the eyes, the way the beard seems both soft and a little bit wiry, the hint of a house in the background. The artist’s use of muted colors makes you feel like you're looking at a memory, something precious but fading a little at the edges. There's a real tenderness in the way he handles the paint, like he's trying to hold onto something important. You know, it makes you think about all the portraits that have ever been painted, all the artists trying to capture a bit of life on canvas.