Conversation 1955

Ossip Zadkine made 'Conversation,' and it's really interesting to see how he uses flat planes of color, like he’s building these figures out of geometric shapes. It’s a puzzle and a painting all in one. Look at the hands, they're kind of like squiggles, and I love how he uses color to define the different parts of the figures, but also to confuse them. What I like about these shapes is how he doesn't try to make them perfect, he almost leaves the mark of his hand in it and makes you see the process, like the hands and arms kind of melt together. You know, this reminds me of Picasso, but with a twist, Zadkine's got his own language, it seems more playful and kind of awkward. I like that. It feels like he's inviting us to have our own conversation with the painting, and it's like he's saying, "Hey, it's okay if we don't have all the answers, let's just hang out and see what happens."