In The Forest 1916

Heinrich Campendonk made "In The Forest" with oil paint, and it's like stepping into a dream. The colors are so bold and unexpected; reds and blues that vibrate against each other, suggesting a process of intuition and play. Check out the way he's built up the surface, thick and thin, almost like collaging with paint. You can practically feel the brushstrokes, each one a little decision, a little exploration. There's a dark branch in the center, reaching out like a question mark, totally changing the mood of the piece. Campendonk reminds me of Marsden Hartley, who also used simplified forms and emotionally resonant colors to create worlds that feel both familiar and strange. Like a conversation between artists, Campendonk invites us to lose ourselves in the forest, with all its beautiful ambiguity.