Tight-rope Walker Marionette c. 1937

Florian Rokita made this Tight-rope Walker Marionette out of mixed media on paper. It's giving me process vibes. Like, you can see the construction, the way the colors are laid down, not trying to hide anything. The texture is so interesting. The paper itself has this smooth quality, but then you see these moments where the color is built up, especially in the face. It's like Rokita is building a character, not just painting a picture. And the colors, they're not super saturated, but they have this depth, like they've been worked and reworked. Look at the way the red of the shorts almost glows against the dark tights. Rokita reminds me a bit of Red Grooms, in the way that he used this everyday image of folk art, but with his own distinct voice. Both artists leave room for imagination, for multiple readings. Art is a tightrope walk of its own.