Still-life on a Table of Horseshoe Form 1934

Here we have Vajda Lajos's Still-life on a Table of Horseshoe Form, though we don’t know exactly when he made it, we do know it was made with paint on board. The colors are all muted, like colors seen through a fogged lens or recalled from a dream. The paint is applied in flat planes, almost like set pieces in a play; a table, a cloth, a mysterious vessel hovering above the table like a ghost. Look at the way Lajos articulates the cloth, he defines its folds with dark blue and black lines, seemingly unconcerned with the ways shadows actually fall, instead more interested in using line to create form. What I like about this is how it’s not trying to be realistic. It’s using very simple abstract shapes to create the illusion of reality. Lajos died young, but this painting reminds us that even in a short time, an artist can leave a lasting impression, can start a conversation that continues long after they are gone. You can see echoes of Lajos in the work of Giorgio Morandi. It is a reminder that art is an ongoing dialogue.