Untitled 2012

This ‘Untitled’ painting, by Tiberiy Szilvashi, is a small colour field of pure sensation, using a reductive palette and simple mark making to create something that has incredible emotional depth. Look at the way Szilvashi has built up the surface of the painting, creating a dense and complex field of colour from what appears to be a single hue. Up close you can really see the texture in the paint, the way it's been layered and blended to create a sense of depth and luminosity. It’s a masterclass in exploring the subtleties and nuances of a single colour and the way it interacts with light. See how one little patch of paler pink at the bottom looks almost like white light? There’s a real sense of energy and spontaneity in this painting, like the artist was working quickly and intuitively to capture a fleeting moment or feeling. Szilvashi's work reminds me of Mark Rothko, but there's something about his mark-making that feels more grounded. I like the ambiguity of it. Ultimately, what a painting means, or what it's about, is always up for grabs.