Application 1962

Karlo Zvirynsky made this collage from paper sometime during his life. It’s a busy world of shapes, colors bumping against each other, but mostly it’s the torn edges that grab me. The guy wasn’t precious, he just ripped right in, which is how I like to work myself. The black backdrop acts like a stage, and then these colored players come out, each with their own texture. That red patch, for instance, so rough, almost angry, while the green one above it is softer, with rounded edges. The way the paper is torn in this collage, I'm thinking he wasn't just sticking things together, but trying to capture some kind of moment, a feeling, where the edges are kind of raw and exposed. It reminds me of Matisse’s late cut-outs, but maybe a little tougher, not so decorative. It’s like he was wrestling with the materials, and that struggle is what makes it so alive.