Morning Toilet 2020

Lech Jankowski made this oil on canvas, Morning Toilet, and it looks like it was born out of dark, earthy hues. The process here feels like a slow reveal, layer upon layer, where the artist allows the painting to find its own form. The painting’s surface is thick, almost crusty, and it’s hard to tell if that’s from time or intention. The lower third is dominated by an oval shape, a solid mass of dark matter. Above it, these vertical forms with little tick marks hanging down...like teeth or rain. The contrast between the dense oval and the delicate markings creates a push and pull, a tension that keeps the eye moving. There’s something about the simplicity, almost rawness, that puts me in mind of Forrest Bess, someone who was similarly focused on the subconscious, and the power of images that hover between recognition and abstraction. This piece feels less like a depiction and more like an exploration of the depths.