Composition 1930

Janos Mattis-Teutsch made this artwork, Composition, with paint – likely gouache – on paper. Look at that blue! It's not just one blue, but a symphony of blues, dancing with reds and whites. The colour palette here feels so economical, simple even, but it’s the relationship between each colour and block that makes it really sing. I love the way the figures are constructed from planes and angles – like they’ve been built from the ground up. The paint application is smooth and controlled, almost masking its own creation. Then there's that taller figure, arms crossed in what could be contemplation. Notice how the artist crops the figures. This gives the work an unfinished feeling, like it’s still a work in progress. This reminds me a little of Giorgio de Chirico, but there’s something more human here, a kind of quiet observation. It’s a piece that invites you to linger, to get lost in its angles, and to find your own story within its abstract forms. It's not about knowing, but about feeling.