Gemünden am Main 1930

Fried Stern made this drawing of Gemünden am Main with colored pencils, and you can almost feel the hand moving, see the layered strokes building up the image. It's like Stern is feeling around for the form, not just drawing what's there. I imagine Stern standing by the river, squinting, trying to capture the light bouncing off the water, the way the buildings huddle together on the hill. The pencil strokes are loose, like he’s in a hurry to get it all down before the light changes. Look how the green and brown scribbles in the foreground give way to those delicate blues and grays in the distance. It reminds me of Cezanne, trying to nail down the essence of a place, not just a pretty picture. It’s like Stern’s saying, "Here, feel this place with me, this is what it feels like to be here, now." And that, for me, is what painting is all about: a shared experience, a moment of connection.