Figur 1948

Jakob Weidemann’s “Figur” is a puzzle of painted shapes, seemingly created in one sitting. The bright colours and definite black lines are laid down with a sense of immediacy, like Weidemann was figuring it out as he went along. Which, let's be honest, is how it should be done! Looking closely, the surface has a lovely, tactile quality. The brushstrokes are visible, and the paint is neither too thick nor too thin, it’s just right. See how the planes of colour butt up against each other to create new forms, and how some of the shapes contain stripes? It’s like the painting is building itself right in front of us. There's a kind of controlled chaos here that reminds me of Joan Miró, that same sense of childlike wonder and playful experimentation with abstraction. Both artists demonstrate a similar belief in art as a process of constant discovery, where fixed ideas are abandoned in favour of embracing the unexpected. And in the end, it’s the questions, not the answers, that really matter.