Damenporträt 1912

Leo Putz painted this portrait of a woman with oils, but when? It's a very painterly painting, isn’t it? The background has a loose, almost watery quality. See how those blues and greens just blend? The artist seems more interested in capturing a feeling, an impression, rather than a photographic likeness. There’s a realness to the face but it’s not like they have laboured over every last detail. I wonder what Putz and his sitter were thinking about while making this? Maybe he wanted to capture her essence, her inner life, with as few strokes as possible. Or perhaps they were just trying to capture the light. Look how the brushstrokes around her hair seem to dance. Like the hair has a life of its own. The making of a painting is a conversation across time. Artists always build on what came before. I see the ghost of Manet in the way Putz plays with light and form, and perhaps that's why it speaks to me.