Gemünden am Main 1930

Fried Stern made this drawing of Gemünden am Main with colored pencils, probably en plein air, right on the spot. I love the way he layers those pastel strokes, building up the image, almost like knitting with color. You can see how artmaking is a process of layering and mark-making, of slowly figuring things out. What really grabs me is the texture he creates with these simple tools. The strokes are so direct, so immediate. The scribbled texture of the grass is especially nice. It’s amazing how a bunch of little lines can give you the feeling of a whole landscape, not just any landscape, but the specific topography of Gemünden am Main. I'm reminded of other landscape artists like Lyonel Feininger, who similarly used line and color to evoke a sense of place. It's like they’re all part of a big conversation, each adding their own unique voice and vision to the story of art. It’s a kind of seeing that invites you to get lost and create your own story.