Czóbel Béla Csendélet Kalappal 1963 61x50 1963

Bela Czobel made this oil painting called "Still Life with Hat" in 1963. Czobel’s painting exists somewhere between representation and abstraction. It's really all about the brushstrokes: how they build up, how they create space, how they almost describe something, but not quite. Take the mark-making across the hat – see how it’s both descriptive of form and also just a series of gestures? The greyscale palette in "Still Life with Hat" feels kind of somber. The way Czobel layers the paint, building up texture in some areas while leaving others thin and transparent, gives the painting a real sense of depth, almost like you could reach into it. And the physicality of the medium is so present. You can almost feel the weight of the paint, the pressure of the brush against the canvas. Czobel’s loose application of paint reminds me of Joan Mitchell, they both suggest form with energetic, gestural marks. It's like they are having a conversation across time.