Jokai, Mor: The Golden Casket 1975

Maria Bozoky’s Jokai, Mor: The Golden Casket, size 17 by 11 cm, is a painting of two figures against a solid ground, with the barest minimum of means. It feels like it’s about the process itself, about building up the image through layers. The thing that hits you first is the texture of the paint. It's thick, especially in the dark areas, where Bozoky seems to have loaded it on, creating these almost sculptural forms. I love how the strokes are so visible, like you can trace her hand moving across the surface. Looking at their dresses, the way the white shines through the dark paint feels really intuitive and playful. The simplicity of the colors, this winey red and stark white-and-black contrast, is very bold. There’s a relatedness to someone like Emil Nolde, who also embraced the raw power of color, and had this sense that art could be both simple and deeply felt. Ultimately, it shows you art doesn't need to be complicated to be moving.