Etude de tissu 1946

Serge Poliakoff's Etude de Tissu is all about how shapes and colors can talk to each other, without actually depicting anything. It’s like he’s saying, "Hey, let’s see what these guys can do together!" Look at the teal, almost turquoise background, like a sea meeting the sky, and then BAM, this amoeba like pink shape. It’s not trying to be anything but itself, a big, beautiful blob of color. Then a flash of red, just hanging out in the corner. Poliakoff uses color like a jazz musician uses notes, improvising and finding harmony in unexpected places. It’s not about what you see, but how you feel when you see it. This piece reminds me of the later work of Hilma af Klint. Both artists invite us to get lost in the rhythm of color and form, to find our own meaning in the dance of shapes.