Képarchitektúra 1922

Lajos Kassak made this abstract geometric composition, Képarchitektúra, using simple shapes and a limited colour palette. I find myself thinking about how the practice of art making is so often like a process of building. Looking at the painting, I can see how the rectangles and circles of colour are carefully placed and balanced. The surface has an appealing texture, with each block of colour clearly delineated, like sections in a painting by Mondrian. But there's an intuitive energy here, too. That small yellow circle, nestled between the red square and the black block, it draws your eye, doesn’t it? It adds a playful touch to the piece, preventing it from feeling too severe or mechanical, almost like a sun. It reminds me of his other abstract paintings, which embrace a similar visual language, yet with a touch of improvisation. Like many other artists of the period, Lissitzky and Malevich, for example, Kassak wasn’t afraid of ambiguity, inviting us to find our own meaning within this geometric world.