Šestnástka 1900 - 1930

Ľudovít Čordák made this painting, Šestnástka, with oils, probably en plein air, right there in the village. You can see the brushstrokes following the light, capturing the roofs and the walls of the buildings. I can imagine Čordák balancing his easel, squinting at the scene, trying to get the light just right, those dusty blues and greens, the warm greys. Maybe he felt a connection to this place, its quiet rhythm, those women sitting on the bench, the chickens scratching around—capturing a little slice of life, right? There is a kind of humble and intimate quality. You see how the brushwork in the foreground is loose and open, but then it tightens up as you move toward the buildings? It is like he is asking us to consider the painting as much as the place itself. Čordák, and painters like him, they are all in conversation, figuring things out, sharing how they see, and helping us to see too.