Marina 1939

Xul Solar painted ‘Marina’ with oil on canvas, and it feels like a dream of the sea. The painting has this smooth, almost glassy surface, where the layers of blues and greens blend, kinda like watercolor, but with oil paint. The shapes are clear, almost graphic, with this careful outline, but the way he blends the colors behind makes it feel soft and mysterious. Look at the mermaid-like figures – their bodies are dotted with these light blue spots. Each dot is carefully placed, but there’s also a rhythm. The way these spots catch the light makes them almost float on the surface. These dots don't just describe, they animate the figures, giving them a playful kind of energy. Solar reminds me of Hilma af Klint, in that he's using geometry to conjure another world and he invites you to imagine the unseen. It's not about perfection, but about feeling.