Azul-verde-blanco-naranja 1984

Gunther Gerzso made this painting, Azul-verde-blanco-naranja, which translates as blue-green-white-orange, with oil. It’s a good title, because it tells you what to look for, but it doesn't tell you how to look. The surface has this overall sandy texture, like it's been aged in the sun for a long time. The grounds feel stained and weathered, like earth or clay. This colour holds the painting together, creating a field for geometric forms to float on. These shapes aren't just blocks of colour; they have volume and depth. Look at how the thin line of blue cuts across the middle – it creates a sense of distance, almost like a horizon line. But it’s not quite a landscape. Gerzso reminds me a little of Torres-Garcia, who was also thinking about geometry and abstraction in the Americas, making art that speaks to a specific place and time, but also feels timeless, like an artifact. Like all good paintings, this one is more of a question than an answer.