View of Table Bay, Bo-Kaap 1944

Gregoire Boonzaier made this painting of Table Bay and Bo-Kaap with oils, using thick strokes to capture the feeling of a warm day in South Africa. The creamy whites and yellows feel sun-drenched, and the blues in the distance make it feel like you can almost smell the ocean. The paint is built up in layers, giving the buildings a rough texture, just like real plaster. Look at the way the light hits the side of that building on the right, you can almost feel the heat radiating off it. There's a lot of layering, and it’s clear that Boonzaier wasn’t afraid to let the paint do its thing, you can see where the brushstrokes were made. Boonzaier's style reminds me a little bit of Die Brücke painters in Germany, maybe Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, they were also working with these thick textures and bold colors to express a feeling, an experience, rather than just making a picture of something. It's like he's inviting us to feel the warmth and the rhythm of life in this place.