Untitled 2012

This "Untitled" painting by Tiberiy Szilvashi feels like a small, intense world of crimson and burgundy, built up with palpable layers of oil paint. Imagine Szilvashi in his studio, repeatedly layering the pigment, allowing each coat to just about dry before attacking it again. There's a real physicality to the work. The paint looks thick and textured, almost like frosting. I wonder what he was thinking about as he worked. Did he have something he wanted to express with the pinkish red and brown color, or was he just experimenting with how the material looked? I'm not sure, but it reminds me a little bit of Rothko, but grittier and a bit more raw. Painting is a conversation across time, and artists are always riffing on each other's ideas, consciously or not. What's cool about painting is it's so open. You don't have to pin down one meaning. The fun is in the ambiguity!