Composition #49 1961

Yuri Zlotnikov made this painting, Composition #49, with what looks like gouache or maybe thinned acrylic; you can tell it was a quick process. The blues and greens feel deep like the bottom of a pool or some dense jungle, but the figures scattered about pull you back to the surface, reminding you that it’s only paint, just marks on a flat plane. See how the people are painted as outlines, filled in with a single colour? It's almost like they're dissolving into the ground around them, becoming one with the brushstrokes. There’s a particular daub of yellow in the top left corner that I keep coming back to, because it is the only warm colour in that area of the picture. It catches the light, and makes you look at the cool tones around it in a fresh way. It reminds me of Léger, who was also interested in breaking down figures into simple forms, although Zlotnikov does it with more spontaneity. Ultimately, it's this looseness and freedom that makes the painting so compelling. We're left with a feeling more than a fixed image, an invitation to look and keep looking, rather than any one clear idea.