Schilder Nicolaas Bastert in zijn atelier in Nieuwersluis Possibly 1903 - 1946

Sigmund Löw made this photograph of painter Nicolaas Bastert in his studio in Nieuwersluis. I can almost hear the quiet sounds of the studio, the light scratching of brush on canvas, the occasional clink of the palette. Here's Bastert, completely absorbed. What was it like to be him, wrestling with the Dutch light, trying to capture that shimmering reflection in the water, or the way the sky presses down on the land? His studio looks like a living, breathing organism, with paintings stacked and leaning against each other, each one a little world in itself. I see a landscape painter who's deep in conversation with the world around him, and with the history of painting itself. Each brushstroke a question, each color a response. Löw’s photograph reminds me of how artists build upon the work of those who came before, constantly reinterpreting and reimagining what painting can be. It's about the ongoing exploration of the world, and our place within it.