Gotwaldov, Czechoslovakia 1957

Fu Baoshi created "Gotwaldov, Czechoslovakia" using watercolor in the mid-20th century, capturing a landscape that feels both familiar and distant. Look at how Baoshi uses washes of grey and black, allowing the paper's surface to breathe and blend the city's forms with the smoky sky. Notice that even though the scene is muted, there’s a real sense of depth, achieved through the layering of tones and textures, a dance between control and chance. The ink bleeds into the paper, creating soft edges and atmospheric effects. It’s like the whole scene is caught in a misty memory, fading at the edges. There’s a mark-making economy here, so that with a few strokes, Baoshi evokes the complexity of urban life. His work reminds me of Emil Nolde's watercolors, where mood and atmosphere take precedence over detail. Art is never really about capturing something perfectly, is it? More like, it's a starting point for an ongoing conversation.