Hunting dogs 1930s

Arnold Peter Weisz-Kubínčan made this painting, ‘Hunting Dogs’, with what looks like oils, and definitely a lot of energy. The paint is applied in these thick, chunky strokes, almost sculptural, you can practically feel the bristles of the brush. The colours are earthy – reds, greens, yellows – all mixed up like a muddy field, and there’s something really raw and immediate about the way he’s put it all down. The surface isn’t blended or smoothed, it’s all right there, exposed. If you look at the body of the dog in the foreground, you can see how the red and brown strokes create a sense of form, but also a kind of restless energy. It’s like the dog is both present and dissolving into the landscape at the same time. There’s a similar handling of paint to some of the expressionist artists like Kirchner or Schmidt-Rottluff, but with a kind of folk-art sensibility that’s all his own. For me, it’s like seeing the world anew, messy and alive.