Vissershaven te Oostende 1913

Constant Permeke made this painting, Vissershaven te Oostende, using thick, luscious strokes of paint. It's like he's wrestling with the scene. I can imagine Permeke out there, feeling the salty air, squinting at the light. The paint's so chunky you can almost smell the sea! Check out those ochre sails leaning heavy against the sky. It's not just boats, it's the weight of work, the salty tang of the sea, all mushed together. The blue and grey palette is like a symphony of the harbor, a visual poem written in color and texture. Permeke's got that earthy quality, a real connection to the everyday. Like Van Gogh, or the German Expressionists, he's squeezing emotion out of every brushstroke. It makes you wonder what he was thinking, what he was feeling as he painted. And how we keep on feeling it too, like the tide coming in and out.