Mount Zion 1976

Avigdor Arikha made this watercolour painting of Mount Zion, and the way he's handled the paint, it's like he's letting the place reveal itself, bit by bit. Look at how the washes of color blend and bleed, creating a soft, almost ethereal texture. You can almost feel the grit of the earth, the rough hewn stone. Notice how Arikha uses thin, transparent layers of color to build up the forms, allowing the light to filter through. It's like he's trying to capture not just the appearance of the place, but its very essence, its history. There's something about the way Arikha builds up the forms from thin washes that reminds me of Morandi, another artist who found endless possibilities in the everyday. Like Morandi, Arikha shows us how much can be found in simplicity. This piece reminds us that art is about seeing, feeling, and thinking, all at once.