Landscape with Two Figures 1979

Ivan Generalic painted Landscape with Two Figures, and what strikes me is the airbrush-like quality, creating soft gradients and a dreamy atmosphere, like you’re looking at a memory. There's this balance he strikes between flat areas of colour, and intensely laboured, detailed zones. The house, with its thatched roof, feels like it has been rendered with great care. It's meticulously built, and the fence is particularly charming. It is naive, yes, but not without intention. There's a deliberate choice to flatten and render simple forms, like a child's drawing, but it feels like it's been arrived at through careful work. Generalic reminds me of Frida Kahlo. Both artists share a similar interest in exploring themes of identity and place, and a commitment to a personal, often surreal, visual language. The realness is surreal. The ordinary becomes extraordinary through the artist's unique vision, inviting us to reconsider our own perceptions of the everyday.