Elenbergen 1916

Camil Ressu conjured "Elenbergen" with oils, probably in his studio, building up layers of pigment. The way he's modeled the girl’s face, so solid and yet soft, makes me think about the intimate dialogue painters have with their subject, human or otherwise, as they try to understand them through the act of looking and painting. The cross-hatching of brushstrokes that construct the sleeves is so lively and generous, and the way he contrasts this energetic handling of paint to the stillness of the girl’s pose makes her feel even more real. She’s someone known, loved even. I wonder what it was like for Ressu to paint her, what he was trying to capture beyond just a likeness. He reminds us that art is a form of embodied expression where ambiguity and uncertainty can be embraced, allowing for multiple interpretations and meaning. We can see how he makes use of the lessons learned by the artists he admired to create his very particular and highly original approach to portraiture.