Drinking 1923

Eugeniusz Zak made this painting, “Drinking,” with oil on canvas, and the limited palette feels very deliberate. Look at how the ochre walls fade into a deep green-black background, with a figure in muted green and red occupying the centre. Zak uses colour to create these distinct zones, almost like stage sets, but then he softens the edges and blurs the boundaries, which is where the magic happens. The paint isn't too thick, but it isn't shy either; you can see the strokes and the way he builds up the layers, especially around the face and hands. He is a painter who's thinking through colour relationships. The way the figure's hand rests on the table, almost touching the empty glass, feels significant. This tiny detail speaks volumes about the nature of contemplation and pause. Zak reminds me a bit of early Picasso, and Modigliani too, a conversation across time that keeps evolving and surprising us.