Smokers on a Balcony

With its sumptuous palette, simplified forms and flattened perspective, Ansel Krut’s painting Smokers on a Balcony, 2014, is charged with a raw immediacy. Two primitive figures squat on a balcony, gazing out at the lush rolling hills and trees beyond. A cigarette, billowing a plume of smoke, dangles from one of their mask-like faces, and, spiralling around the duo as if in a dreamlike dance, the balcony’s wrought metal railings seem to have come to life. Both nude, their contrasting skin tones – one a creamy beige, the other a rich mahogany – complement one another evoking a sense of harmony and equilibrium. The painting draws from a wealth of art historical references: its faceted planes recall the fragmented Cubism of Picasso and Braque, whilst its lyrical colours evoke the vibrant and visceral compositions of both Gauguin and Cezanne. This riot of colour and form is typical of the South African born artist, whose prolific oeuvre frequently draws from the canon of art history to produce compelling reflections on the world that surrounds us.