Three Riders 1941

Cyprián Majerník painted "Three Riders" with oils in no known year, and it's all about the immediacy of the gesture, that's what grabs me. See how the brushstrokes are loose and kind of raw? It’s like Majerník is thinking right onto the canvas. The color palette is muted, almost like a memory, but then there’s this shock of pink that jolts you awake. The paint isn't overworked; there are thin washes and thicker scumbles which build this really gorgeous texture. Look at the way the horses are rendered, they're blocky, kind of awkward. It reminds me of Gauguin, that similar simplification of form, and a shared interest in the expressive potential of color. Like Gauguin, Majerník isn't trying to capture reality, but rather create an emotional landscape. This is a conversation about how we see, how we feel, and how art can hold space for all those messy, beautiful, and unresolved questions.