Czobel Bela 1940 Parasztlány 1940

This grayscale painting of a peasant girl was made by Bela Czobel in 1940, and it feels like I can sense the artist in the act of painting itself. It has probably come into being, shifting and emerging through trial, error, and intuition! I feel for Czobel when I look at this piece. I wonder what he might have been thinking when he made it? I can see the texture, the color, and the physicality of the medium, and I can really imagine his hands moving back and forth. There is a particular gesture in the face that communicates so much feeling. I can see how this piece relates to Czobel's wider practice and body of work, and the work of other painters. Artists are in an ongoing conversation, inspiring one another’s creativity! This painting embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.