Czóbel Béla Still Life with Jug 1935 1935

Béla Czóbel made this still life with what looks like oil on canvas back in 1935. The dominant colours are muted: rosy reds, purples, and greys, all swirling together. I can almost see Czóbel in his studio, pushing the paint around, maybe wiping it off, adding more, building up the image through layers of trial and error. The jug in the middle seems to shimmer a bit, doesn’t it? Like it’s caught in a dream. I wonder what he was thinking about as he painted it, maybe about other artists? You know, painting is like a conversation across time. Artists riff off each other, borrowing ideas, responding, challenging. Each brushstroke is a gesture in that dialogue. This piece makes me think of Morandi and his rows of bottles and jars, or maybe even Manet and his still lifes. Each artist is speaking through the language of paint, exploring form, colour, and light.