Three Generals 1961

Misch Kohn made this image, "Three Generals", using lithography, a printmaking process that lets the artist draw directly onto a stone or metal plate. Kohn's mark-making is wonderfully uninhibited, a playful blend of abstraction and figuration, as though he is having a conversation with his materials. I’m drawn to the layering of colors – the way the blues and greens peek out from beneath the dominant oranges and reds. Look closely, and you’ll see how the textured surface of the paper becomes an integral part of the image. See the scumbled lines along the lower legs of the figures? There’s a real sense of movement there, an energy that reminds me of Joan Miró's playful approach to form and color. Like Miró, Kohn embraces ambiguity, inviting us to see the world through a lens of playful experimentation.