Estela Blanca 1950

Gunther Gerzso made this puzzle-like artwork, Estela Blanca, with paint, and a steady hand. Looking at this painting, you can tell that Gerzso was really exploring the possibilities of painting as a process. The colors are very earthy, with just a few spots of brighter colors like the little blue square catching my eye. The paint seems pretty smooth, not too thick, so you can see all the different shapes fitting together. It's like he's built a little world out of these blocks of color, which gives you this sense of a solid, built environment. The way the shapes connect and overlap, really shows off Gerzso's skills. He reminds me a little of Josef Albers, with his focus on shapes, but with a more organic, less rigid feel. The piece invites us to see the world as a collection of forms, and to find beauty in the way they come together.