Night on the Outskirts of Town 1931

Istvan Farkas made this painting called Night on the Outskirts of Town, we don't know exactly when, but it feels like a memory. You know, it's all about how the colors bump into each other. Look at the way the pink sky clashes with the murky greens and browns below, creating a mood that is both romantic and uneasy. The paint is applied loosely, almost haphazardly, with visible brushstrokes that add to the sense of movement and uncertainty. I'm drawn to the figures in the foreground, especially the couple embracing. They're rendered in soft, blurry lines, their forms dissolving into the darkness around them. It’s like they’re caught between presence and absence, between reality and dream. Farkas reminds me a little of Paula Modersohn-Becker, in how he uses color to create feeling, to tap into the messy, ambiguous nature of human experience. It's a conversation that keeps going, and always throws up more questions than answers, right?