Sunset. Cornish Coast 1915

Albert Julius Olsson, sometime in his life, painted "Sunset, Cornish Coast" with what looks like a pretty standard brush and a whole lot of looking. I love how the paint is dabbed on, all broken and crumbly, kinda like that feeling when you're trying to hold onto the last bit of light. Olsson's not trying to hide the work here; you see every stroke, every little decision he made. There's this one part, right where the sun hits the water, and it's just a bunch of yellow and white flicks, but somehow it reads as pure, shimmering light. It reminds me of Turner, but with a bit more grit, a bit more of that real, salty air. It's like Olsson is saying, "Yeah, beauty is great, but have you ever felt the wind burn your face at the beach?". Art's just a long conversation, isn't it? We all just keep adding our own little marks, trying to capture something that's always just out of reach.