I visited the AGO, specifically to look at a variety of figure paintings. My longer gallery visit post is here

Portrait of Isaak Abrahamsz Massa (Hals, 1626)

• The pose is very casual. A friend leaning over the back of a chair, to chat or take note of someone walking into the room. A candid ‘photograph’, caught in a moment. The interior rendering is extremely spare. Was the subject sitting in a chair, looking out the window? This image feels more symbolic than descriptive. I get the feeling the ‘window showing trees’ is some sort of symbol of meaning to the expected audience.
• The trees look a bit out of place. The card at the gallery suggested these were painted by a different artist (Pieter de Molijn)

Portrait of the Artist’s Wife (Bruce, 1890)

• The interior is showing off art. Ignoring the painting’s title, this tells me the subject has a collection or is an appreciator of art. A piano in the far back suggests musical interest as well.
• The pattern of the curtain both mirrors the subject’s standing form, and also directs my gaze to her face.
• The plants form a halo. Is this supposed to tell me about her hobbies perhaps?
• Clothing and furnishings suggest some level of wealth, perhaps?
• Separately, the artist’s wife is actually a sculptor (Carolina Benedicks-Bruce). None of that is evident here.

Portrait of Dr. Heinrich Stadelmann (Otto Dix, 1922)

• I love this image. It reminds of dracula, or some B-movie poster. Probably not the artist’s intent, but the ridiculousness of it really appeals to me.
• The skin tone, and rendering of the eyes, suggests illness. Perhaps mental illness? The gallery suggests that Dr. Stadelmann was a psychologist of some sort.
• The interior depiction is spare, though gives me the impression of wealth. Heavy red curtains, and lace. A plant. I have a sense of space, and wealth, but not much else. Perhaps warmth?

Femme Assise (Pablo Picasso, 1926)

• There is definitely space here, though fractured through the cubist lens.
• The title is”seated woman”. The diagonal red on the left gives me the thought that she is seated on stairs. The cross-hatched background contradicts this with an impression of being seated in front of a window. the continuation of the red, on the right, turns this into a corner of the room.
• I really enjoy this play of perspective and simplification. The room exists, the woman is “here” (where ever ‘here’ might be), but the subject is very clearly the woman in her non-euclidean glory.

Interior with Four Etchings ( Hammershøi, 1904)

• The figure is not the subject. Is she staff? Is she family? we can’t tell. The artist has focused all detail on the etchings, table and ceramics. The figure exists to sort of block the light coming in from the left.
• Its very mysterious, and compelling.