White stork 1970

Ivan Generalic painted 'White Stork' with oil on glass, and I can only imagine the unique process of building up layers in reverse to create this scene. The red cow, the stork with its piercing beak, and the villagers scattered across the landscape create an atmosphere that feels like a page torn from a beloved fairytale. I sympathize with Generalic, imagining him completely absorbed in creating this world. How much trial and error? And I wonder what he was thinking as he painted the stork, so assertive on the back of the cow. Generalic, like many other painters, is in conversation across time. Each stroke, each choice of color, is like a line in a long, ongoing discussion. Painting, in its ambiguity, allows for a multitude of interpretations, and invites us all to join in the exchange.