Stadsgezicht in Brussel 1953

Nico Molenkamp made this gouache painting, "Cityscape in Brussels," most likely in the mid-20th century. The muted palette, almost grayscale, and the way the paint is dragged across the surface really give you a sense of the damp, cold air of a northern European city. Look closely, and you can see how Molenkamp built up the image with layers of small, broken marks. Notice the way the buildings are suggested with these blocks, how he applied a pale under layer and let some of it shine through. It’s like he’s not trying to represent the city so much as evoke a feeling, a memory of a place. There's a passage of dark blue just below the buildings, maybe a canal, maybe a street, and it’s punctuated by these vertical strokes of white, suggesting figures or posts. It’s not precise. It's as though he is trying to convey the idea of something instead of a fixed truth. Molenkamp’s paintings remind me a little of those by Diebenkorn, in that they create mood above all else. Both artists understand that art is about asking questions rather than providing answers.