Untitled

Untitled

Jan Matulka

1921

gouache

From the collection of Museum of Modern Art

About this work

This painting shows a wobbly, colorful town with slanted buildings. The roofs are red and blue, and some have pointy towers. Trees with big leaves stick out everywhere, and the sky has swirly clouds. The colors are bright but not quite real—like a sketch that’s been painted over. The artist used a loose, sketchy style, almost like a quick doodle. The buildings don’t line up perfectly, and the trees look more like shapes than real plants. It’s like the town is seen through a dreamy, slightly off-kilter view. If you like this look, try searching gouache to see how artists use that paint.

More by Jan Matulka

Artifact World Gallery — 100,000 artworks Get the app