Garden 1958

Tihamer Gyarmathy made this painting called 'Garden' with some kind of mixed media. Looks like the paint is built up in layers, it's super textured. I can imagine Gyarmathy, stepping back, squinting, then diving back in, layering and scraping, maybe even using cardboard to get that ribbed effect. Was he trying to create a garden, or trying to remember one? The painting doesn't seem to be a 'picture' of a garden, but rather a kind of echo, a memory of colours, textures, and shapes. There's something so tactile about it, that makes me want to touch it! The coral pink colour against the bright yellow feels unexpected, dissonant even, but I think it works. It's like he's not afraid to push against the boundaries of what's expected. That reminds me of how Joan Mitchell would load her canvases with feeling. I think painting for Gyarmathy was a process of discovery, a way of thinking through making. His garden feels like a conversation between himself and the canvas.