The portrait of Laci, otherwise titled the Poet is a painting that could be considered an allegory as much as a portrait. Gottlieb leaves it open to interpretation. As is often observed with Gottlieb’s style, there is a timeless quality about it, where the particular details merge with a universal quality. Laci is real yet she could also represent an idea, a muse of poetry perhaps. We are willing to believe it for a moment at least while we are in conversation with the painting. This is something that gives portraits their appeal beyond the significant details of a person we know and which elevates them to art.
