Magic 1981

Endre Bartos made this painting, Magic, with oil paint, though the date is unknown. Look at those luscious, fat slabs of paint! It's like Bartos was building something rather than just painting it, piling up dollops of colour to conjure a whole world. The painting is so physical, and it’s hard to ignore the urge to reach out and touch the surface. I bet he used a palette knife. The dark blues of the tree trunks make a strong contrast with the reds, yellows, and greens of the leaves, and it's this tension that brings the scene to life. The lower left corner has a particularly interesting patch of ground; it looks like the colours of the leaves are mirrored by the ground. I'm reminded of Van Gogh and his thick impasto, but Bartos brings a unique, playful energy to the scene. There's no one right way to see this forest – it invites you to get lost in its textures and colours, and find your own magic within it.