Fishing Boats 1932

Mikuláš Galanda painted these Fishing Boats with what looks like decisive, almost geometric strokes and a muted but warm palette. I can almost see him making the painting, building up the boats, bit by bit, with a kind of careful attention. You know, painting boats is a classic subject, but there’s something really fresh here. It’s like Galanda is stripping away all the sentimentality and getting down to the bare bones of what a boat is – a shape, a color, a presence. I imagine him squinting at the boats, really trying to understand them, and then translating that understanding into paint. The blue in the background is so simple but effective, suggesting water with just a few strokes. And that red of the boats, it's not a bright, flashy red, but a deep, earthy tone. The whole thing feels very grounded and real. It’s a reminder that painting, at its best, is about seeing and feeling and then finding a way to share that with others.