War 2014

Małgorzata Serwatka’s painting, “War,” is a powerful statement rendered in a muted palette with bold strokes. It’s like she’s wrestling with the paint, trying to make sense of something immense and terrible through the sheer physicality of artmaking. There’s a striking contrast between the figures rendered with loose brushwork and the dense block of text looming behind them. The words are almost carved into the surface, creating a sense of weight and oppression. That block of text almost seems to press in on the huddled figures in the foreground. There's so much anguish in how the figures are rendered. The red slashes through the composition feel like wounds, drawing our eye and heightening the emotional intensity. Serwatka's work shares a raw, unflinching quality with artists like Paula Rego, who also tackled difficult subjects with a directness that’s both unsettling and deeply moving. Both artists remind us that art isn't just about aesthetics; it’s a way of grappling with the complexities and contradictions of the human experience.