Tilla Durieux als Circe 1912 - 1913

Franz von Stuck’s “Tilla Durieux als Circe”, presents the actress as the mythical sorceress, likely made with pastel and chalk. Look at that surface, that kind of velvety texture! It’s not just about rendering a likeness; it’s about the physicality of the medium. The way those soft, smudgy strokes build up the form, especially in the hair, it’s like he's sculpting with color. There's a real tension between precision and looseness. The way Stuck captures the light on her face, using those subtle gradations of tone, is really something else. It's like he's not just painting a portrait, but also trying to capture a certain mood, a certain ambiguity. See how those earring beads dangle down, echoing the curve of her cheek? It’s a small detail, but it adds to the overall sense of harmony and balance. You know, someone like Felicien Rops, with his decadent, Symbolist drawings, comes to mind. Both artists were interested in exploring the darker, more irrational aspects of human nature, and they weren't afraid to push boundaries in their work. Art's not about answers, it's about questions, about possibilities.