Exotic Riders 1942

Cyprián Majerník made this painting, Exotic Riders, with oil on canvas and a muted palette of browns, blues, and pinks, blurring the boundaries between representation and abstraction. I imagine Majerník building up the surface of the painting with quick, gestural strokes, layering color upon color, adjusting and refining until the composition finds its rhythm. I wonder what he was thinking, the relationship between the riders and their horses, these almost faceless figures. It is the material qualities of the paint itself that I find most captivating. See how the brushstrokes create a sense of movement and energy, capturing the dynamism of the riders and their mounts as they parade across the canvas. I find my eye following the strong horizontal band that bisects the composition, grounding the figures, creating a sense of spatial depth. It’s like he’s in conversation with artists like Daumier, who captured everyday life with sensitivity and insight. The act of painting can be an embodied expression that embraces ambiguity, and allows for multiple interpretations.