Recreërende mensen in een park before 1901

H.C. Louwerse made this painting of people relaxing in a park using brush and paint. I can imagine the artist’s hand moving quickly, capturing the fleeting moments of people at leisure. Look at the monochrome washes, evoking a sense of nostalgia and timelessness. You get the impression that Louwerse was standing there, observing a crowd with all its quirks and little dramas. I wonder what it was like for him, capturing this scene in a few deft strokes. The thinness of the paint makes the whole image look delicate, almost as if it could fade away. But within that fragility there’s strength, like the work of other impressionists. It reminds me of the idea that even in art we are all just remixing and responding to each other, reaching back and forward in time.