Mathilde Schoenberg in Garden 1908

Editor: Richard Gerstl's oil painting "Mathilde Schoenberg in Garden," painted in 1908, is striking! The blues and yellows vibrate off the canvas, and the brushstrokes give it this intense energy, almost manic. What's your take? What story do you think Gerstl is trying to tell? Curator: For me, it’s less about a story being told and more about a feeling being evoked, a fleeting impression. Gerstl's technique feels incredibly raw and honest, like he’s painting the emotional truth of the moment rather than a literal likeness. See how the figure kind of dissolves into the landscape? Is she separate from the garden or part of it? Editor: I hadn’t thought about her dissolving, but I see it now! She kind of blends in with the blue flowers of her coat and the background. Almost like he’s painting how she felt at that moment, and how he felt too! It looks turbulent! Curator: Turbulent is spot on. This was painted during a complicated, shall we say, intimate period for Gerstl with the Schoenberg family. Some even read this portrait as a kind of visual power struggle. Who has power over the gaze, who's being observed, who’s vulnerable? Do you feel she makes eye contact with us, or is she lost in thought? Editor: She avoids our gaze completely! That adds another layer to this turbulent reading. I can almost feel Gerstl wrestling with the composition. Thanks to you, what I saw as vibrant is now clearly laced with unease. Curator: Absolutely! Isn’t it wonderful how one’s interpretation can morph? That is the best thing about engaging with art!