Czóbel Béla Maticska Jenő Festőművész Portréja 1904 1904

Bela Czobel captured this portrait of fellow painter Maticska Jenő around 1904, probably in oil. I can imagine him building up the surface, those brushstrokes almost fighting against each other to create a kind of flickering effect. There’s a real intensity in those dark, shadowy areas, especially around the eyes, which contrast so sharply with the stark white collar. You know, painting another artist, there’s this unspoken conversation happening, a silent acknowledgment of shared struggles and joys. I wonder if Czobel saw a bit of himself in Maticska, or maybe he was just trying to capture something essential about the artistic spirit itself? The whole thing feels very charged and alive. To me it also says a lot about how artists keep each other going. This is how artists learn, by looking at each other.