Kvinderne ved brønden. Portugal. 1911

Othon Friesz made this watercolor drawing, Women by the Well, Portugal, using loose washes of grey. You can see the way he’s built the image through layering; he’s feeling his way around the subject. Looking closely, you can see how he’s used these quick, confident strokes to define the foliage. The way the pigment bleeds into the paper creates a soft, almost hazy effect, which gives the scene a dreamlike quality. Notice the contrast between the solid, dark trunks of the trees and the light, airy canopy above. It’s this interplay between light and shadow that really brings the composition to life. The whole thing feels like a memory, a fleeting moment captured in ink and paper. Friesz, who moved away from the Fauvist movement, was influenced by artists like Paul Cézanne. The drawing feels like a conversation between the artist and the landscape.