Dawn on the Outskirts of Town (Morning) 1931

Istvan Farkas painted “Dawn on the Outskirts of Town (Morning)” using, it seems, oil on canvas, though I can’t be sure, it's hard to know for sure. What interests me is how it's so heavy on atmosphere, the way the scene is built from colour and tone, rather than any precise rendering of form. Check out the tree trunks on the right, see how they are built out of strokes of varied greys and browns. The paint is thin, almost translucent, allowing the underlayers to peek through, which gives this texture, but also a real feeling of depth. The surface feels both built up and rubbed back. Look at the violet sky, it's like he's trying to capture that moment when night and day are almost fighting each other. Farkas has a similar mood to someone like Emil Nolde. Both artists have a real feel for paint. Both artists, through very different styles, are interested in capturing subjective states. In the end, painting is about that alchemy of turning feelings into something you can see.