View To The Mount Santis 1925

Willy Schlobach painted this landscape, View To The Mount Santis, using tiny dabs of oil paint, kind of like building with lots of little mosaic tiles. You can see how the whole image flickers and shimmers in front of you, because it’s all about a process of layering. Look closely at the peak of the mountain: Schlobach uses these small marks to build up a feeling of volume and texture. The paint is applied in short, deliberate strokes, and the colors blend optically, not physically, giving the mountain a hazy, ethereal quality. I love the way the green at the base contrasts with the pale hues of the sky. Schlobach reminds me a bit of the pointillist painter, Seurat, though his touch is less mechanical, warmer, more personal. It’s a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation, each artist finding their own voice within a shared history.