The Painter 1932

Sandor Bortnyik made this painting, called "The Painter," with oils, and at a glance, it's all angles and flat planes. It's an interior, but something about it feels like stagecraft, doesn't it? The figure is cropped from behind so we don’t see who the painter is. Are they blocked? Are they trying to figure out what to do next? They are standing, it seems, in front of a blank canvas. The air is thick with possibility, but maybe the artist is thinking, “damn, what now?” We've all been there, staring at that blank canvas, paralyzed! There is a mirror to the right, but maybe there's nothing to see? What exactly is being reflected? It reminds me that painting isn't just about what's on the canvas, it's about the world around us, the conversations we're having with each other, and the endless possibilities that lie ahead.