Blick Auf Luzern 1924

Lovis Corinth made this watercolour painting, Blick Auf Luzern, probably in a single sitting, but who knows? The misty blues and grays create an overall soft and dreamlike impression, but look closely and you'll see there's a lot of active brushwork going on. What you see when you look at the mountain range in the background? I see how the brushstrokes build up to create depth and texture. It makes me think about the artist's process of layering and building up the image, maybe he had to wait for the paint to dry between washes? I wonder if Corinth worked from life, outside in the elements, or from memory, back in the studio? Either way, the painting seems to capture not just the landscape, but also a feeling, a mood, a fleeting moment in time. It reminds me that painting is ultimately a conversation, an ongoing dialogue between the artist, the subject, and the viewer, where meaning emerges through process and interpretation.