Lights and Shadows 1947

Tihamer Gyarmathy made this painting called "Lights and Shadows" with oil on canvas. It’s all about darks and blacks, but it’s the small, brighter colors that really make it sing. See how the brushstrokes are almost like a code? Each one seems placed with intention, a little push here, a dab there. It makes me think about how much decision making is involved in the process of painting. There's this central shape in the middle, like a wonky square with a bullseye. It draws you in, right? The eye dances around that focal point and then you start to notice the other stuff: the muted red hues, and the slightly off-kilter angles that keep things interesting. The painting feels like a conversation, or a kind of construction. This feels very much like a painting by someone aware of, say, Kandinsky, but also determined to do his own thing. It’s like Gyarmathy is saying, “I’m part of this conversation, but I’m speaking my own language."