Conversation 1935

Zygmunt Waliszewski made this painting, called 'Conversation', with what looks like gouache or maybe tempera, something that dries matte. Look at the way the colours are laid down, quite flat and chalky. There's a beautiful lack of blending, which lets each hue speak for itself. See that sharp, triangular shadow cutting across the face on the left? It's like he's building form out of these distinct planes of colour. I love how the ear is just this loose, curly swirl of paint. It reminds me a bit of Marsden Hartley, that same interest in reducing figures to these almost geometric forms. But Waliszewski brings a kind of nervous energy, a restlessness to his brushwork that’s all his own. Ultimately, the painting captures the feeling of a conversation more than any specific exchange. It's that sense of being in the moment, suspended between listening and responding.