White Cross 1918

Janos Mattis-Teutsch created this painting, “White Cross,” with some kind of thick chalky medium, and the overall feeling is one of seeking. I love how the painting emerges from the swirling blues, greens, yellows, and pinks, with the white cross almost suspended at the top. I can imagine him working on this piece, trying different marks, rubbing some away, and adding others until the image began to take shape. Maybe he was thinking about faith and spirituality, trying to visualize some unknowable thing. The way the lines curve and intersect reminds me of Kandinsky, someone else who tried to paint the invisible, or of Hilma af Klint. All these artists were trying to find new ways to see and feel, pushing painting beyond just representing what’s in front of us. I am totally with them in this search, aren't you? Ultimately, painting is about the journey, not the destination, and I think the image is so open.