Paises Bajos 1952

This painting of Paises Bajos by Carlos Nadal is like a memory, soft and blurred around the edges. Look at the way the buildings lean into each other, painted with thin washes of ochre, pink, and creamy whites. You can almost feel Nadal’s hand moving quickly, trying to capture a fleeting moment. I can imagine him standing there, squinting in the sunlight, brush dancing across the canvas. What was he thinking about as he painted those tiny windows and the little horse-drawn cart? The scene feels both familiar and dreamlike, like a postcard from a place I’ve never been but somehow know. The way he scratched his name into the wet paint reminds me that painting is an ongoing conversation. We build on each other's ideas, responding to what came before and laying the groundwork for what will come next. It's a beautiful, messy, and imperfect way to make sense of the world.