Landschaft mit Haus in Oberau 1908

Gabriele Münter made this landscape with a house in Oberau using oil paints, and I love the way she fearlessly dives right in! Look at how Münter lays down these thick strokes of color, almost like putting down tiles in a mosaic. The surface has this palpable texture, where the marks aren't just descriptive but have their own life. You can see how the brush dragged through the paint, leaving these little ridges and valleys. It's like she’s sculpting with color! The way she contrasts the hot red of the roof with the cool blues of the water, there's a real tension there, a vibration. It's like she's not just showing us a place, but giving us a feeling. Münter reminds me a little of Emily Carr, both searching for a raw, direct way to capture the spirit of a place. And like all great paintings, it's not just what you see, but what it makes you feel.