Gezicht op een waterweg, met op de voorgrond aangemeerde roeiboten before 1903

This image of a waterway with rowboats in the foreground by S. Jaffé has a quiet, gentle feel. Looking at it, I imagine the artist, maybe standing on the bank, carefully composing the scene. I wonder what Jaffé was thinking about, looking out onto the water, maybe feeling the breeze, watching the light ripple across the surface. The artist's eye, their mind and body, become like a filter for experience. There is a softness to the light and shade. A balance between tones helps us perceive depth and atmosphere. The boats are still, but the water suggests movement. I see a conversation happening here between Jaffé's work and other painters. This image brings to mind the Dutch landscape painters of the 17th century, but also the later Impressionists, each building on what came before. All painters are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time. And, in the end, paintings like this remind us that seeing is about feeling and thinking, all mixed together.