Manor-House at Körtvélyes 1907

Jozsef Rippl-Ronai built this painting, Manor-House at Körtvélyes, with small, deliberate dabs of color. I can imagine him, patiently building the image, one mark at a time. There’s a certain rhythm here, a vibration between the red roof of the manor and the red skirt of the figure in the foreground. It's a bit like when I'm working on a painting and discover a color relationship that keeps resonating throughout the composition. The surface looks soft and dry – it makes me wonder what kind of brush he used. Each stroke feels like a decision, a small act of world-building. I wonder if Rippl-Ronai was thinking of other artists when he made this, maybe even having an imaginary conversation with them. Painting is never a solo act, right? We’re always talking to each other across time and space. Ultimately, it's this back-and-forth, this act of call and response that makes painting so alive.