Italiensk by. Ravello 1920 - 1924

Gudrun Traustedt made this watercolor of the Italian town Ravello using delicate washes of color. I imagine her standing there, squinting in the sunlight. She's not trying to capture every detail, but instead, is letting the watery paint suggest the forms. Look how the buildings seem to rise organically from the earth, their shapes softened by the sun-drenched atmosphere. The colors are muted, almost dreamlike, with the ochre of the buildings contrasting with the greens of the trees. I bet she mixed those colors intuitively, building up layers of pigment until she achieved the right balance. It's a light touch that invites you to fill in the blanks, to imagine the heat, the smells, the sounds of this place. I can sense her trying to work fast before the light changed. Traustedt's painting is a personal record, a quiet conversation between the artist and her subject. And now, between you and her.