The Jochberg and the Walchensee 1924

Lovis Corinth made this painting, The Jochberg and the Walchensee, with oil on canvas. Looking at it, you can really see the process, the way he's dabbed and stroked the paint. It’s like he’s wrestling with the landscape, trying to capture not just what he sees, but how he feels about it. The texture is so rich, almost sculptural in places. The way he uses thick, opaque paint, especially in the foliage, it’s like he’s building up this whole world, bit by bit. And then you’ve got these looser, more transparent washes in the sky and water. It’s like he’s letting the light breathe through the canvas. I particularly love the little pops of red in the foreground. They’re like these tiny explosions of energy that just bring the whole thing to life. Corinth was doing something similar to what Monet was up to, really pushing the boundaries of representation and expression. But while Monet was all about capturing fleeting moments of light, Corinth was digging deeper. He wasn't afraid to get messy, to embrace the chaos of the world.