Havn i en lille købstad 1901

Albert Gottschalk made this harbor scene in a small market town, with oil on canvas, we don't know exactly when. It's a study in grayscale, which can really make you focus on the bones of the painting, right? The way forms bump up against each other. The texture is really something - you can see the strokes, thick and juicy, giving the whole scene a kind of restless energy. Look at how the light bounces off the building in the background, all blocky and solid. But then, your eye is drawn to the foreground, where everything is more gestural. That dark, looming ship is so close, it’s practically in your face. It's like Gottschalk wants you to feel the grit and grime of the harbor. You can almost smell the sea. This piece reminds me a bit of some early Auerbach, that same willingness to let the paint do its thing. Ultimately, it shows us that painting is about seeing and feeling, not just representing.