Entering the Ring 1939

Cyprián Majerník made this painting, Entering the Ring, with oil paint, and he wasn’t afraid to let the brushstrokes show, was he? It's like he’s saying, “Here’s the painting, but here’s also how I made the painting.” There’s a cool kind of looseness, like a jazz riff, to the way he builds up the forms of the horses and riders. The paint isn’t too thick, but you can definitely feel the hand of the artist in the way he models the forms, adding these small strokes of ochre and brown that give the horses weight. Look at the way Majerník paints the road, these broad strokes of muted green and peach, and how they suggest movement and direction. It’s almost like a stage, and the circus performers are about to enter the spotlight. This reminds me a little of Daumier, in its rough handling of paint. You get the feeling this is an ongoing conversation about how to see and represent the world.