Composition 1922

Janos Mattis-Teutsch made this ‘Composition’ with oil paint, and it’s all about feeling the process of painting. The juicy reds create a vibrating ground, doesn't it? The texture is really present; you can practically feel the drag of the brushstrokes. Look at how the colors hover and play with each other, with that green sort of slashing across the red. There is something beautifully awkward about the shapes that makes the image feel emotionally charged. It’s not about perfection but about the energy of the moment. Mattis-Teutsch seems to be in conversation with early Kandinsky. They both had an interest in capturing spiritual content in painting, making the kind of art that leaves plenty of room for interpretation. It’s the kind of art that stays with you, a reminder that art is an ongoing experiment, a messy, beautiful conversation.