Scheiben 1955

Ernst Wilhelm Nay made this painting, called "Scheiben," most likely with oils, and look how he's laid down these forms, almost like tiles in a mosaic but so much looser. Up close, you can see how the paint sits on the surface, not quite flat, with a bit of texture. It looks like he’s used fairly large brushes to get those bold strokes and shapes. See how the colors overlap and how the brushstrokes sometimes stop and start, leaving a little gap between them. Take the little patch of white and blues near the bottom – it’s almost like a floral pattern emerging from the abstraction. And those black lines, like scattered twigs, really pull the whole thing together, don't they? Nay's work reminds me a little of Joan Miró, with its playful abstraction and bold color choices, a dance of shapes and forms, a conversation that unfolds over time and in our minds.