Náměsíčná 1925

Jindrich Styrsky made this painting, Náměsíčná, using soft pastel colors and hard-edged shapes, like he was trying to build a dream. It feels like he started with a kind of structure, a skeleton of blocks, then he began layering the emotional stuff. The textures, the ladder going nowhere, and the pale colors are all laid on with gentle deliberation. I wonder if he was thinking about the way memories get re-arranged over time, becoming more abstract yet also more emotionally resonant. I can imagine Styrsky building the painting up, shifting shapes, and adjusting tones, always searching for some elusive harmony. Painters borrow from each other all the time. This picture makes me think about Morandi, and all those quiet, contemplative still lifes, but given a good shake. I am intrigued by the way artists working in different contexts and eras keep circling back to these fundamental questions about seeing, feeling, and making.