Vajda Lajos Két Növér 1936 1936

Vajda Lajos made ‘Két Növér’ in 1936, we don't know with what. But I bet it wasn't easy. The image vibrates with a kind of quiet energy, doesn't it? The figures are built up with these simple, almost cartoonish shapes, but they're so carefully placed. The palette is earthy, rust orange fades into smokey shades of purple. It's as if he's digging into the surface of the canvas to find these colours, layering them one on top of another. Look at the vertical stripes over the garments, they're like bars, but also like the marks you might make with a really dry brush that’s almost out of paint. The paint isn’t too thick, or too thin, but like it has been scrubbed on. There is a kinship between these figures, but who are they? Vajda Lajos shares something with the early work of Philip Guston, or the raw intensity of some folk art. Ultimately, it’s a reminder that painting isn't just about making pretty pictures, it's about thinking through feeling, and feeling through paint.