Composition 1925

Janos Mattis-Teutsch's "Composition" feels like a little puzzle made with paint. Look at the way he’s laid down these flat, blush-pink shapes – it's so decisive, like cutting out forms from paper. The texture is smooth, almost cool to the touch. He’s not trying to trick you into thinking it's anything other than paint on canvas. The pink and black, with those subtle greens, create a strange harmony. I keep coming back to where the pink forms intersect; they almost seem to be nuzzling each other, or maybe in conflict. This reminds me of some early Stuart Davis, the way he flattened objects and played with architectural forms. Ultimately, art is like a conversation through time; each artist picking up where someone else left off, remixing it all into something new.