Study for the Painting Spanish Motif 1937

Cyprián Majerník made this ‘Study for the Painting Spanish Motif’ on paper, maybe as a sketch for a larger work, who knows? I like that there’s something almost unfinished about it. Majerník is all about laying down these translucent washes of colour, one on top of the other; the paint is so thin, it's like watercolour. The dark green brushstrokes that describe the leaves, for example, feel quick and decisive. But what’s interesting is how those marks sit on the surface in relation to the vase, for instance, that is sketched so plainly. It creates a tension, a really dynamic feeling. I think Majerník is an artist who is unafraid to let the process show. The painting feels loose and open, and that lets us in, inviting us to participate in the act of seeing. It’s like he’s saying: “Here’s how I see the world. What do you see?”