Alte Araberin 1929

Gustav Heinrich Wolff made this watercolor called "Alte Araberin" sometime in the early 20th century, and it lives here at the Städel. The way he’s using watery washes of paint, layering them to build up this face emerging from shadows, really sings to me about the joy and potential of the watercolor medium. The colors are these earthy browns and tans, like looking at someone through sepia-toned glass. I love the quick, decisive strokes – you can almost feel him dabbing at the paper, letting the water do its thing. Look closely at the woman’s face: the way he suggests wrinkles and shadows with just a few flicks of the brush, it feels so direct and honest. And there’s this incredible tension between the details in her face and the loose, almost abstract washes surrounding her. It reminds me of some of Emil Nolde’s portraits, where the emotional intensity comes through these raw, expressive brushstrokes. Art’s like this ongoing conversation, right? And this piece is just one voice, speaking to us across time.