Calling 1928

Janos Mattis-Teutsch made this painting, 'Calling,' with what looks like diluted oil paint, maybe even gouache, in shades of blue, green, and lilac. I can imagine him building up the image gradually, almost like a watercolor, finding its form layer by layer. I wonder what Mattis-Teutsch was thinking when he made this ethereal figure? The paint is smooth and quite matte, not much texture, but the shapes are still so evocative. The figure stands in a kind of liminal space, with geometric forms creating a dream-like landscape. It reminds me a little bit of some of those early modernist painters exploring spirituality. I see connections to artists searching for new ways to represent inner experiences, and painting as a way to capture feelings and intangible ideas. It all makes me think about how artists build on each other’s explorations, finding new paths through paint and form, always trying to articulate the un-articulatable.