Landscape from Turne 1905

Ľudovít Čordák made this painting of a landscape – probably in or around Turne, Slovakia. It's hard to know exactly when, but I reckon he was out there with his easel in the open air and the light, layering thin washes of paint to capture a particular moment. You can almost feel him looking intently, trying to capture the hazy light on the horizon and the feeling of the evening. See how the foreground is all warm greens and yellows, like the sun is still holding on, but up above, things are turning cooler, bluer. I'd bet anything he was racing against the setting sun, trying to capture the essence of the scene before it slipped away. It reminds me of Corot, but with a slightly different sensibility, a touch of Eastern European melancholy. Painters are always in conversation, borrowing and riffing off each other. What do you see when you look at this painting? How does it make you feel? There's no right or wrong answer. Painting is all about opening up a space for feeling and thinking, a dialogue between the artist, the painting, and you.