Reclining Nude in a Garden 1940 - 1944

Arnold Peter Weisz-Kubínčan made this painting of a reclining nude in a garden with oils, right onto what looks like cardboard. I love the red tree, which is really more like a big, bold bush of color – it steals the show, doesn't it? The nude blends in, all greens and yellows, relaxing in the grass with the trees behind. I bet Weisz-Kubínčan was feeling that sun. The whole thing is made with quick, confident brushstrokes, a juicy, wet-on-wet technique that lets colors mix and mingle. I see Cézanne, but there’s something uniquely Weisz-Kubínčan here. There's a kind of tenderness in how he lets things blur. The gesture of each mark feels direct, like he’s not fussing too much, just laying down what he sees and feels. And that’s the thing about painting – it's not just about what you see, but how you feel it too.