Wallpaper Border c. 1939

Paul Farkas made this wallpaper border on paper with gouache sometime in the 20th century, and its repetitive patterning gives a sense of order. I wonder how Farkas approached the task of painting each flower. It feels like he worked methodically from left to right, carefully filling in each petal with layers of deep-burgundy paint. See how the red sits against the flat turquoise background, contrasting with the paler green flowers? I get a sense of the artist's hand and mind working together, calibrating color and form. Each section is like a mini-painting, a small world of tone, shape, and line. I think of other artists who have used repetition and pattern like Yayoi Kusama. Farkas invites us to find beauty in the everyday, to consider how simple forms, repeated, can create something visually interesting. It's this exchange of ideas across time that makes painting so vital. It is a living conversation, constantly evolving with each new mark.