The Sunken Road in Winter 1913

Othon Friesz made this painting of a winter road, probably in the early 20th century, using oil on canvas. The way he's put the paint down feels so intuitive, almost like he's feeling his way through the scene. Look at the bark on those trees, the way it’s built up with thick strokes of green and brown, like he’s sculpting the surface, not just painting it. There's a real materiality here, a sense of the weight and density of the forest, but also a kind of fluidity, like everything is in motion. Friesz really lets you see the process. And then there's that little figure struggling under a load of sticks—the whole composition feels like a metaphor for the act of carrying, of bearing witness. I see echoes of Cézanne in the way he simplifies and abstracts the forms, but with a kind of raw energy that's all his own. It’s a reminder that art is always a conversation, a back-and-forth between artists across time.