Untitled 1976

This untitled painting by Zdzislaw Beksinski presents us with an unsettling vista, painted in a palette of browns, greys, and muted greens. I imagine Beksinski, wrestling with his demons, brushing these colors onto the canvas, building up layers of texture, almost like he’s constructing a world from scratch. The eye is drawn through a portal or doorway, framed by rough, earthy tones, into a landscape that feels both familiar and alien. The meticulous detail is incredible, and the paint looks thin. Look at the foreground, the arrangement of rounded forms—are they stones, or something more organic? They remind me of figures huddling together. I sympathize with Beksinski. He seems to be grappling with fundamental questions about existence and mortality. His paintings are like dark mirrors reflecting the anxieties of our time. The haunting atmosphere and the play of light and shadow evoke a sense of unease, while the artist’s vision speaks to our deepest fears and fascinations. It makes me think of Goya, but also Odilon Redon, and how artists build on the work of those who came before.