Gipsies dancing 1936

Ivan Generalic's 'Gipsies dancing' is a celebration on canvas, likely made with oil paints. You can almost feel the scratch of the bristles against the weave. I can imagine him, bundled up against the cold, trying to capture the scene before him. The joy and frenzy of the dance is caught by these figures who are painted with their hands raised, the lines of their bodies distorted. There is a sense of trial and error here, as though each mark of paint has been placed with care, but also with a sense of urgency, like he’s chasing after something. It is a little like the flatness of Léger, but with its own quirky spirit, its own way of seeing, thinking, and feeling. It is a reminder that every artist is on their own journey, having a conversation, with the world, with themselves, and with all the artists who have come before.