Czóbel Béla Still Life 1910 1910

Bela Czobel made this still life in 1910 using oil on canvas, and its a party of brushstrokes! Look closely, you can see each stroke laid down with confidence. The color palette is restrained, but the way Czobel layers the paint, its thick in places, and creates these wonderful textural contrasts. The brushwork is really evident, especially when you look at the twigs in the vase, they are dancing! I keep getting drawn back to the brushwork because it reminds me of my own studio practice, where the physicality of the medium becomes a form of expression in itself. The painting isn't trying to trick you into thinking it's a window, you know it's paint, it's texture and that in itself is the view! Czobel was part of the Fauvist movement, but you can see influences from Cezanne here, as it highlights the ongoing dialogue between artists across time and styles, where it's all part of the soup, nothing is truly new.