Portrait of a Man 1917 - 1918

Konrad Mägi’s “Portrait of a Man” is a window into a world of subdued tones, where a figure emerges from a misty green backdrop. I imagine Mägi, brush in hand, coaxing this man into being, layering strokes to capture not just a likeness, but something deeper. The way the light hits his face, those blues in his eyes, suggests Mägi was hunting for something beyond the surface. It's like he's not just painting a person, but all the quiet moments they’ve lived through. The texture seems smooth, considered, allowing the subtle shifts in color to do the talking. The brushstrokes around the jacket have this urgency that makes you think of other artists like Van Gogh. Painters are always chatting to one another across decades, aren't they? Mägi’s painting feels like a part of that big, ongoing conversation, reminding us that art is as much about what we see as what we feel.