Roses in Balcic 1930

Samuel Mutzner’s “Roses in Balcic” is an oil painting depicting a landscape under a clear sky, with a bush of bright orange flowers in the foreground. Imagine Mutzner outside with his easel, responding to the warmth and light of the scene, the wind in his hair, squinting as he moves paint around on the canvas. Balcic emerges through the brushstrokes—hillside buildings dot the upper reaches, while the foreground is dominated by a burst of colour. The brushstrokes are applied with confidence, and the oranges contrast brilliantly against the blues and greens of the surrounding foliage. The texture of the painting adds depth and dimension, evoking a sunny, warm feeling. The mark-making throughout has a kind of joyful energy and feels very intuitive. Like, Mutzner just felt it and went for it. Painters are always looking and learning, and the marks here made me think of the Fauvist painters and the way they used colour to express feeling. It’s all one big conversation in painting, a sharing of ideas, each artist leaving their own little mark.