Hiddensee I 1927

Alexander Kanoldt made "Hiddensee I" using what looks like graphite or charcoal, creating a landscape that feels both precise and dreamlike. I'm really drawn to the way Kanoldt uses line here. It's almost architectural, building up the form of the fields and buildings with such controlled marks. Look at the way the light hits those fields in the foreground, creating these subtle gradations of tone that give them so much depth. It's like he’s mapping the land, but also capturing a certain mood, a kind of quiet stillness. There's a house over to the right that feels very present, solid. You could compare this to the landscapes of someone like Giorgio Morandi, who was also interested in distilling forms down to their essence. Both artists share a sense of quiet contemplation and a focus on the underlying structures of the world around them. For me, this piece is a reminder that art is really about the act of looking, of slowing down and paying attention to the world in all its complexity.