Komposition mit Kreis 1927

Adolf Hölzel made this pastel drawing, titled Komposition mit Kreis, and right away, the colours grab you, right? They're bumping up against each other, making all sorts of surprising combinations. When I look at the surface, I get a sense of Hölzel layering down one colour after another, like a painter feeling their way through the process. There’s this juicy, pink circle smack dab in the center, it’s a bit wonky, not perfect, and it really activates the space around it. The fuzzy texture of the pastel is so present. You can almost feel the chalky dust on your fingertips. Then there’s this kind of electric blue peeking out from behind some of the shapes, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere. Looking at Hölzel’s later works, you can see how he kept pushing these ideas, always searching for new ways to express the emotional power of colour and form. For me, his work is another example of how art is like this never-ending conversation, where artists build on each other's ideas and challenge what we think is possible.