Muž v klobouku 1914

Josef Capek painted this oil painting, "Man in a Hat," with a restricted palette of blues, grays, and browns. It’s like he’s figuring out how to boil down a person into shapes, a process of reduction. Capek's brushstrokes are pretty straightforward, not trying to hide anything. You can see the paint sitting on the canvas. Take the triangle that forms the man's nose and cheek – it’s painted with such confidence, with an almost luminous gray-blue. The eye, a simple almond shape, pierces through the geometric abstraction. It’s unsettling and intriguing. It reminds me a little of Juan Gris. Capek's work, especially his later paintings, often had this simplified, almost primitive quality. The way he breaks down form reminds us that painting is not about imitation, but about translation and invention. It's a conversation with the world, constantly being refigured.