Storm Brewing 1939

Lyonel Feininger made "Storm Brewing" using oil paint to create a moody, geometric landscape. I love the way he's built up the color in layers – hazy yellows and oranges swirling into stormy greens and browns. It gives the scene this luminous, almost surreal quality, like a memory fading in and out. The surface of the painting is fascinating, so thick in some areas, especially in that sky, and thinner in others, allowing the underlayers to peek through. It’s like Feininger was scraping back the paint, revealing the history of the painting's creation. Look at the way those sharp, angular shapes of the buildings jut out against the sky. It's not about perfect representation, but about capturing the feeling of a place, the push and pull of light and shadow. Feininger's work reminds me a bit of Agnes Martin, in the sense of the careful construction of light and colour. Both artists manage to convey mood and atmosphere through really minimal means, and invite us to slow down and look closely.