Hra (Play) 1983

Eliska Konopiská made this print, titled Hra, which means “Play” in Czech, with ink on paper. It’s all about process, the layering and blurring of forms, isn’t it? Look at how the image seems to emerge from a haze of warm, earthy tones. The texture isn’t smooth, but full of tiny, unpredictable marks which build up to make the image. The repeated vertical marks evoke a sense of rhythm, like a musical score where each stroke is a note in a larger composition. The details are soft, almost dreamlike, inviting you to lean in and explore the surface. I find the title interesting, how the piece relates to play, to uncertainty and improvisation. Konopiská’s approach reminds me a little of Philip Guston, especially his later work, where forms are reduced to their bare essentials, and the act of painting becomes a playful exploration of self and the world. Like with Guston, it’s not about perfection, but about the messy, beautiful process of discovery.