Jerusalem, Blick auf Ölberg und Tempelplatz von Südwest 1925

Jakob Nussbaum made this moody scene of Jerusalem with ink and brush in 1925. I can imagine him out there, feeling the sun and wind, trying to get it all down with quick marks. The sweeping wash of gray ink is really doing a lot of work here. It's like he’s letting the ink itself conjure up the hills and sky, so it feels spontaneous, yet solid. There’s a lot of back and forth between the brush and the paper. Look at how the ink is darker at the top, making you feel the weight of the clouds, then lighter toward the bottom, as if the light is breaking through. Maybe he reworked some passages, layering them up to add depth and feeling. Painters are always responding to each other, across time and space. Nussbaum is part of a long line of artists trying to capture a place, a feeling, with just a few strokes. Painting is like having a conversation with the world, and this one feels pretty intimate.