Žena 1936

Mikuláš Galanda made this drawing, Žena, presumably with ink and watercolour, using a pared-down palette of black, red, and white, with grey outlines defining a border. The simple, stark contrast of colours feels very modern. Look at the red wash behind the figure. The paint is applied quickly and thinly and yet, the artist allows the colour to really saturate the paper, letting the texture of the surface create variations in tone and depth. It feels like a memory more than a depiction of something real, a memory of colour and form. The black ink is thick and opaque, used to create solid blocks that define the figure's dress and headdress, contrasting with the delicate lines of the hands. The interplay of the solid and the linear, the bold and the subtle, creates a visual rhythm that draws you in. It has some of the geometry of Léger, but with a much more folk-art feeling. It shows us how art is always in conversation with itself, echoing and responding across time.