Nude with Red Turban 1926

Bela Czobel made this painting, Nude with Red Turban, with oil paint, though it feels like he was using a buttery, oily crayon. Look at the way the strokes build up, like soft layers being applied, then rubbed back a little. This reminds me that making art is always a process. I find the fleshy colours so interesting, and I love the way Czobel uses darker tones to outline the form. Look closely, and you’ll see the paint is pretty thick in places, especially around the headscarf, giving the picture real texture. But, because the brushwork is so loose and expressive, it gives it a sense of movement and energy. The way the body is rendered is almost cubist, so this piece feels like a cousin of someone like Modigliani. And like a Modigliani, this painting celebrates the beauty of ambiguity.