Daami portree 1923 - 1924

Konrad Magi painted this portrait of a girl, using oil paint and a very particular approach to colour. Look at the face, built up with small dabs of pale yellow, green, and pink! There's a sense that the artist is not just copying what he sees but actively constructing the image through the application of paint. I find myself drawn to the way Magi handles the scarf around her neck. The reds and browns are applied in swirling motions, like eddies in a stream, giving a real sense of movement and texture. The colours are not blended smoothly, but rather sit side by side, creating a mosaic-like effect. This reminds me of Van Gogh, who also used colour to express emotion and energy. But Magi's approach is all his own. It's as if he's inviting us to see the world in a new way, to break it down into its component parts and then reassemble it in our minds. It embraces ambiguity and multiple interpretations over fixed or definitive meanings.