A small town in Spiš 1920 - 1925

This view of a small town in Spiš was painted by Ľudovít Čordák, who was born in 1865 and died in 1937. The piece is oil on canvas, a traditional medium, but look closely and you can see that Čordák is really pushing the materiality of his chosen medium. The paint has been applied in visible strokes, almost brick-like, which make up all the components of the picture; the town itself, the bridge, the water, the sky. This emphatic handling of the material suggests the importance of the labour involved. It reminds us that images don't just appear from nowhere, but are made by someone, through skilled manipulation. Čordák was part of a generation of artists who were interested in working "en plein air", painting outdoors, directly in front of the subject. There is an inherent connection to the landscape, as it captures the essence of a moment. When you look at this painting, consider the artist's presence, and his deliberate handling of materials to give the image its life.