Still-life with Fruits 1929

Bela Czobel stacked fruit and other objects on a striped tablecloth, using thick strokes of oil paint. I can imagine him composing this scene, shifting the objects around, playing with the colours to create a lively balance of forms. See how the brushstrokes follow the shapes of the fruit, each dab of paint adding texture and volume. The colours are so rich, reds and oranges popping against the blues of the tablecloth. It's like he's squeezing the life out of these forms, letting them breathe on the canvas. The red pitcher sings, doesn’t it? I reckon Czobel was looking at painters like Matisse and Derain when he was laying down these strokes. Artists are always in conversation, borrowing and riffing off each other's moves. And in the end this painting, like any painting, is an open door—step through it, and see where it takes you.