Small Things 1966

Karlo Zvirynsky made “Small Things” using oil on canvas. Look at these simplified shapes and forms, neatly arranged on a surface: the cone, the die, the string of beads, the playing cards. It feels like a conversation between abstraction and representation, and I wonder if Zvirynsky was thinking about the relationship between the object and its representation? What’s real and what’s not? The composition is tight, almost claustrophobic. I can imagine the artist carefully placing each object, considering its relationship to the others. I see echoes of Giorgio Morandi in the muted color palette and the focus on everyday objects, but Zvirynsky brings his unique sensibility to the table. When I see a painting like this, I think about the conversations artists have across generations. Each one builds on what came before, responding and reacting to the ideas of their peers and predecessors, adding their own voice to the mix. And each viewer brings their own unique perspective too.