Czóbel Béla Hátakt 1941 1941

This painting of a woman’s back, Hátakt, was made by Béla Czóbel in 1941, and it’s a riot of warm yellows, reds, and blues laid down with a kind of urgent tenderness. You can almost feel Czóbel circling the canvas, unsure, then sure, then unsure again, building up the figure with short, choppy strokes. I imagine he’s stepping back, squinting, then lunging forward to add a dab of orange, a stroke of blue. There’s a real vulnerability in leaving the marks visible, you know? Like he’s saying, ‘Here’s the process, the struggle, the joy of trying to capture something essential.’ That little patch of yellow light behind her head? It's so simple but it just makes the whole painting sing. It reminds me of Bonnard – that same way of using color to create a feeling as much as a form. The painting isn't just about a nude figure; it's about light, color, and feeling, all tangled up together. Artists are always in conversation with each other, you know, across time and space. That's the beauty of painting – it's an ongoing experiment.