Markttafereel in Nederlands-Indië 1886 - 1947

Pierre Jean Apol made this watercolor painting of a market scene in the Dutch East Indies, and I can imagine him dabbing at the paper, trying to capture the light and energy of the place, maybe swatting away the bugs as he did so. The painting feels immediate, like he wanted to catch the movement of people buying and selling, the hustle and bustle of the market. He’s used thin washes of color, blue, yellow, and green, giving everything a luminous, airy feeling. I like the way he’s suggested figures with just a few strokes, like they’re dissolving into the background. I can almost feel the heat and the humidity just looking at it. It reminds me of other painters who were trying to capture a sense of place, like Bonnard or Vuillard, but with its own unique sensibility. Artists are always looking at each other, learning from each other, and pushing things forward. Painting is like a big conversation that never ends.