The Master Builder 1931

Petre Otskheli made this construction of watercolor, ink and pencil, maybe in the early 1930s, and it's got a theatrical kind of drama to it. I love the stark contrast between light and dark, and how the beams of light seem to dissolve into the blackness of the background. The red carpet leads our eye up the steps to the central platform, like the stage of a strange show. The light feels like a metaphor for clarity and truth, but it's also kind of ominous, isn't it? I am reminded of Giorgio de Chirico; his use of stark shadows, and those strangely lit deserted plazas, but this is even stranger than that. It leaves so much to the imagination. It's a mystery, but in the best possible way. Art isn't about answers, it's about questions, right?