Gondolas 1986

Piroska Szanto made this painting, Gondolas, with dynamic brushstrokes, building up textures that really invite you to look closely. There's something so alive in the way the paint is applied – it's not just about depicting gondolas but about the very act of painting itself. The pinks and blacks create a rhythm that is both soothing and unsettling, and it reminds me of some of Guston's looser, more abstract works. See how she lets the black lines dance across the canvas, almost like musical notes? And then the pink, fleshy and soft, but also a bit raw. It's a beautiful push and pull. These gondolas aren't just sitting still; they're moving, breathing, almost like they're gossiping with each other. It's a reminder that art is always a conversation, a back-and-forth between the artist, the materials, and us, the viewers.