Summer 1940

Cyprián Majerník's painting 'Summer' is made of gentle marks and a palette of greens and ochres, which evoke the feeling of a hot summer day. I can imagine Majerník standing in the fields, squinting in the sunlight, trying to capture the essence of the scene before him. The paint is applied in these loose, gestural strokes, which gives the painting a kind of immediacy and freshness. Look at the way the brushstrokes create a sense of movement, as if the cows are shifting and swaying in the heat. It reminds me a little of Courbet, especially in the earthiness of the palette and the way he captures the weight and presence of the animals. But there's also something very personal and intimate about this painting. It feels like Majerník is not just recording what he sees, but also expressing something about his own relationship to the land. And you sense an exchange between artists, as if they are both trying to capture something fundamental about the human experience. In the end, that's what painting is all about, isn't it? An embodied expression embracing ambiguity and uncertainty.