Malarz w pracowni 1936

Sasza Blonder, who lived from 1909 to 1949, made this painting, 'Malarz w pracowni', presumably in his studio, using oil paint and a lot of guts. Look at the way he’s laid down these colours, right? It’s almost like he's building up the image, brick by brick, with these chunky strokes. The colours feel so raw, like they've come straight from the tube. I mean, check out how the blues, yellows, and pinks crash into each other on the artists face. It’s kind of jarring, but also kind of beautiful. There’s a real physicality to this piece, you can practically feel the texture of the paint. It's not trying to hide anything. It’s like Blonder is saying, "This is paint, this is me, this is what I see." And that little red slash of paint right there, in the middle of the canvas? It's like a shot of adrenaline, a reminder that painting is alive. It reminds me of Guston, that same kind of raw, unapologetic honesty. It's like they're both searching for something real in the act of painting, a truth that can only be found through the mess and the struggle.