Portrait study of a wife, a sketch to "Strange Garden" 1903

Józef Mehoffer made this portrait study of his wife, likely in oil on canvas, as preparation for his painting "Strange Garden." The brushwork is pretty direct, and the palette muted, which gives the whole thing an intimate, almost casual feel. It’s like we’re catching a glimpse of something private. Look at the way he's handled the light on her face, all those subtle variations in tone. Then there's the dress, rendered with these loose, expressive strokes of dark blue. You can almost feel the weight of the fabric. My eye keeps going back to the way Mehoffer defined the cheekbone with just a few strokes of pink. It’s economical, but so effective. To me, it's evocative of Bonnard, someone else who understood how to turn the everyday into something magical and strange. Ultimately, I find myself drawn to the ambiguity of the painting. It’s a portrait, yes, but it’s also something more. It’s a moment, a mood, a question.