Vajda Lajos Girl with Candles, 1936, Oil on Paper, 568x55cm 1936

Vajda Lajos made "Girl with Candles" in 1936 with oil on paper; the texture is smooth and has an eerie and calming presence. I imagine Lajos making the painting, starting with the orange background and then adding the girl’s figure with thick black lines to give her structure. The child’s red cloak emerges from the darkness; the candles in her hands are topped with green flames. Looking at this painting, I am reminded of other figurative painters like Marsden Hartley or Milton Avery, who also capture a sense of emotional intensity through simplified forms and vibrant colors. It makes me consider how artists continually engage in a dialogue across generations, inspiring each other with new ideas and approaches. This artwork reminds me that painting is a fluid process of give-and-take. Every mark carries the potential for meaning, but those meanings are never fixed.