Czóbel Béla Csendélet Kalappal 1963 61x50 1963

Béla Czóbel painted this still life with a hat in 1963, the composition rendered in charcoal and shades of grey. I can imagine the artist leaning over the canvas, charcoal in hand, urgently trying to capture the essence of these everyday objects. Those marks—they're not just lines, but the artist's breath, his energy transferred to the surface. The paint is thin, almost transparent in places, allowing the texture of the canvas to peek through, creating a sense of depth and layering. Look at that sweeping gesture behind the hat. It’s as if Czóbel is trying to contain something wild, untamed, maybe even his own emotions. Czóbel’s work reminds me of other painters like Manet, who also found beauty in the mundane. We artists, we’re all in conversation with each other, across time and space, riffing off each other's ideas. For me, painting isn’t about answers, it’s about questions, about embracing ambiguity and uncertainty, and knowing that there’s always more to discover.