Czóbel Béla Sárga Blúzos Lány 1945 1945

Béla Czóbel made this painting, Sárga Blúzos Lány or Girl in a Yellow Blouse, around 1945 with oil on canvas, I think. The way he’s used the paint feels so instinctive, like he's trying to catch a fleeting impression more than create a perfect image. Look at how the yellow of the blouse glows against the darker, earthier background. The paint application is quite direct. You can see how he's built up the layers to give the form substance, especially around the sleeves. The way the colors bleed into each other makes me think of Vuillard, that intimate, domestic feel. There is a certain softness, but then you have these sharp, angular strokes defining her face, which gives her a slightly melancholic look. It's interesting to see how Czóbel, who was part of that early wave of Hungarian modernists, still keeps a foot in figuration, even as he’s playing with expressive brushwork and color. It's like he's saying, "I can paint a person, but I'm more interested in how the paint itself can become a person."