Jazdci 1937

'Jazdci', or 'Riders,' was painted by Cyprián Majerník, likely in the late 1930s, using oil on canvas. Majerník's impasto brushwork and muted palette have imbued this canvas with a dream-like quality. You can see the texture of the paint itself – the artist's active engagement with the medium. The rough application and heavy layering add an almost sculptural dimension to the otherwise flat, two-dimensional surface. The figures in the painting are stylized, their forms simplified and somewhat abstracted. They don’t seem to represent literal riders, but rather the very idea of riders. It suggests the artist was more interested in capturing a feeling, perhaps even a psychological state, than in depicting reality. In its creation, Majerník engaged with both traditional artistic practices and modernist abstraction. He was pushing the boundaries of painting, using its material qualities to convey deeper meanings. By emphasizing the making and the materiality of 'Jazdci', we can more fully appreciate its artistic complexity and unique social context.