Self-Portrait as a Half-Length Nude with Amber Necklace II 1906

Paula Modersohn-Becker made this self-portrait with oil on canvas. She's got this amber necklace on and a tiny flower in her hand, surrounded by a backdrop of blue foliage, kind of dreamy, right? I wonder what it was like for Paula to stand there, staring at herself in the mirror, trying to capture her own essence. She's not just painting what she sees, she's digging deeper, you know? The way she layers the paint, those soft pinks and blues, it's like she's building up her own reality, stroke by stroke. I love the directness in the way that she looks directly at the viewer, unflinchingly and a little confrontational. And those other early modernist painters, they were all wrestling with similar stuff. How do you make a painting that's not just a picture, but a whole experience? Paula's work is an important part of the conversation. She teaches us that painting isn't just about what you see, it's about feeling, thinking, questioning, and that art is always about becoming.