Komposition 1930

Adolf Hölzel made this painting with pastels, and straight away, the dominant salmon-pink ground sings out, acting as a field for floating forms. I imagine Hölzel, standing at his easel, gently layering strokes of colour, feeling the drag of the pastel stick on the coarse paper grain. There are lovely moments of colour interaction; like the cluster of yellow marks against the cobalt blue shape, or the soft blush-pink form next to a stroke of turquoise. It feels like Hölzel is teasing out a symphony of tonal relationships. I wonder if he had the early work of Kandinsky in mind when he made this piece? Both painters share an interest in dissolving the representational image and finding a pictorial language that speaks more directly to our feelings. And that’s the magic of painting, right? It’s an ongoing conversation across time, where artists inspire one another to see the world anew, embracing ambiguity and multiple meanings.