A 1974 Color Field painting by Friedel Dzubas, featuring broad, gestural blocks of colour applied in Magna on canvas.

Friedel Dzubas, a key figure in the development of Color Field painting, created Ascona in 1974. This work demonstrates his characteristic approach to the medium of Magna, an acrylic resin paint that allowed for rapid drying and specific handling qualities. Dzubas applied the paint in broad, sweeping gestures, allowing the pigment to sit on the surface with a distinct physical presence. The composition relies on the interaction of large, unmodulated blocks of colour, which appear to float against a lighter, atmospheric ground.

In this piece, the artist balances a vertical column of greens on the left with a series of horizontal and irregular shapes in red, yellow, grey, and brown on the right. The arrangement avoids traditional perspective, instead focusing on the tension between the edges of the colour fields. The application of paint varies from dense, opaque passages to thinner, more translucent areas, suggesting a sense of movement and light. Dzubas often worked with large-scale canvases, and even in this smaller format, the work maintains a sense of expansive space. The title, Ascona, refers to the Swiss town, though the painting remains non-representational, prioritising the emotional and optical impact of the colour relationships over any specific geographical depiction. By using Magna, Dzubas achieved a matte finish that absorbs light, preventing the reflective glare often associated with oil paints. This choice allows the viewer to focus entirely on the chromatic interplay and the rhythmic placement of the shapes across the canvas surface. The work is a clear example of his mature style, where he moved away from the gestural intensity of early Abstract Expressionism toward a more controlled, meditative exploration of colour and form.