By the Grapevines 1935

Jozef Hanula made this painting, By the Grapevines, with what looks like oil paint, and a whole lot of looking. I love the way the leaves are made with so many greens – not just one, but a whole chorus of them. It's like he's trying to catch the light as it bounces off each leaf. And the way he's daubed the paint on, it’s almost as if you could reach out and feel the texture of the leaves, the rough bark of the tree. There's one particular spot, right in the middle, where the leaves are almost glowing. It’s like Hanula is showing us how painting itself is a kind of tending, a way of nurturing the world and making it visible. It reminds me a little of Courbet and his landscapes, but with its own fresh voice. With Jozef Hanula, painting isn't about perfection, it's about keeping the conversation going.