Nova Aurigae 1918

Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz made 'Nova Aurigae' with pastels, and, oh boy, what a trip! I can just imagine him, wrestling with the pastels, trying to get this vision—like a face melting into a supernova—down on paper. The blue background feels like deep space, while those swirls of white and yellow give it a sense of infinite movement. The way he attacks the paper, smudging and layering, it feels like he’s channeling something raw and primal. What was going through his head at the time? Was he thinking about the cosmos, about humanity? It reminds me of Munch, maybe, or even some of the weirder Symbolists, but Witkiewicz has a voice all his own. Painting is this crazy conversation across time, where we steal from each other, argue with each other, and hopefully, push things forward. Painting is also this embodied expression. It’s not about answers, but about embracing the mess, and uncertainty.