The three kings c. 1920

Adolf Hölzel painted this piece, The Three Kings, with what looks like oil on canvas, and judging by the colours and the directness of the brush marks, the process was key. The painting’s surface is alive with texture, a kind of built-up layering of colors. The yellow robes of the kings practically vibrate against the darker blues and reds surrounding them. I’m especially drawn to the concentrated energy around the Madonna and child: a swirl of white and yellow seems to radiate from the central figures, capturing this incredible moment, but it's handled with such abstraction! Hölzel, like Kandinsky, was exploring the spiritual in art through abstraction. It reminds me of how Marsden Hartley used abstraction to convey intense emotion, embracing a similar sense of raw, unrefined expression. It's all about the journey, this ongoing quest for new ways to see and feel.