Premonition 1977

Viktor Pivovarov made this painting, Premonition, with oil on canvas. Look at how he applies that intense red, it almost feels like a stage curtain, doesn’t it? The colors are so flat and bold, it's like he's not trying to trick us with any fancy brushwork. You can almost feel the texture of the canvas underneath, which gives it this raw, immediate quality. I love how the red shapes are so abrupt and graphic, they remind me of cut-out paper, and they make me think about collage. There is one tiny, silhouetted figure in the lower right. It reminds me a little of Magritte, maybe because of the surreal, dreamlike quality. But Pivovarov’s got his own thing going on, he’s not just copying anybody. For me, this piece is an experience more than something to be understood.