Uitzicht uit het Inselhotel op het meer van Konstanz en de promenade Possibly 1914 - 1921

Carel Nicolaas Storm van 's-Gravesande made this watercolour of the view from the Inselhotel on Lake Constance. It's all about capturing a moment, a fleeting impression of light and colour. You can really sense the artist working quickly, trying to pin down the scene before it changes. Look at the way he's dabbed and stroked the colours to create the water, it's all broken up into these shimmering blues and greens. It’s not about detail but about the overall feeling, the movement of the water and the light on the surface. It’s like he’s just grabbed a handful of colours and thrown them at the paper, but somehow it all comes together. You see how the foliage on the left is rendered with such spontaneity. This piece feels like a close cousin to the work of the Impressionists, like Monet. It's all about capturing the immediate sensation of a place, rather than a photographic representation. There is so much to enjoy.