Cathedral 1913

Frantisek Kupka built this 'Cathedral' with oil on canvas. I can almost feel the act of its making. Look at those dominant blues and reds, stacked up like building blocks in the night. You know, painting can be a real wrestling match. I imagine Kupka must have worked and reworked this canvas – adding, subtracting, trying to find a form that felt true to his inner vision. The way he's layered those strokes, you can feel the rhythm of his hand, the push and pull, the give and take. The paint is thin, yet the surface shimmers with these faceted forms, like light bouncing off stained glass. I love how he's created this sense of depth and space with just a few simple gestures. It’s like he’s trying to capture the feeling of being inside something vast and awe-inspiring. And it makes you wonder, what were his influences? Delaunay? Mondrian? I bet they were all talking to each other, in their own way, pushing the boundaries of what painting could be.