Gray Picture 2022

Iwo Zaniewski’s Gray Picture seems to have been coaxed into being through layers of charcoal or pastel, worked and reworked to conjure a domestic interior. I sympathize with Zaniewski— I too love making a mess and looking at rooms. Here, forms emerge from a subdued palette of grays, browns, reds, greens, and blues. It’s as though Zaniewski has an intimate relationship with each object and figure depicted. The objects have been felt, and the feeling is registered in the work. See how the marks build up to evoke a sense of depth and atmosphere, creating a slightly melancholic mood. Zaniewski echoes the interiors of the French painter Vuillard, with his quiet interiors. What emerges is an open-ended inquiry into the nature of seeing and feeling, a space for contemplation and introspection.