Action I (Egg) 1956

Mikuláš Medek’s Action I (Egg) presents a figure painted entirely in shades of blue holding an egg. It looks like the paint has been layered to create that depth of colour. I’m interested in that egg, though, and what it is doing in the hand of this figure. The paint here is quite thin, almost transparent, allowing the canvas texture to peek through, which makes the surface come alive, especially in the figure's face. Medek's brushwork is delicate, and look at how the colour pools around the edges of the figure, creating a soft, dreamy effect. It’s as if the figure is emerging from the blue. This piece reminds me of Giorgio de Chirico, who played around with dreamscapes and that idea of something emerging. This is an invitation to consider the layers of meaning and feeling that art can evoke, embracing the beauty of ambiguity over easy answers.