Nocturne 1910

Frantisek Kupka made this little nocturne painting with oil on canvas, it measures 66 by 66 cm. Look at how the blues and greens have been applied, blocky, almost mosaic-like! It must have been an enjoyable process, adding each stroke, stepping back to consider, then moving on to the next. What do you think Kupka might have been thinking when he made it? The paint looks so smooth, it invites you closer, doesn't it? But that little touch of purple, here and there, sets off the cooler hues. Each gesture communicates something; the intention, or perhaps a feeling. The painting is linked to Kupka's wider practice of abstract and orphic art. It has echoes of other painters like Kandinsky. But he's doing his own thing here, experimenting with colors and their emotional impact. Ultimately, artists are in an ongoing conversation, and what's so beautiful is that painting allows for ambiguity. We're allowed to interpret it in our own way.