Reading Woman 1912

Kmetty János made this painting, Reading Woman, with oil on canvas. The colours are a little muted, but they have real depth, the dark browns and greens contrast with her pale skin and the white of the book, making it seem as if she and the book are illuminated from within. The paint handling here is so interesting; the brushwork is very visible, and the shapes are simplified into planes, like a puzzle. It reminds me a little of Cezanne, in the way he built up form using individual marks. Look at the lower half of the painting, the way the lines of her dress fall, the solid black block of the shoe, the lines of colour underneath. The brushstrokes feel very deliberate, like each one has been carefully considered and placed. János is really thinking about the process of painting and how to make it into something solid and real. It's the kind of painting that feels like a conversation, one mark answering another.