Twee vrouwen in een paardenkoets before 1901

H.C. Louwerse made this piece, "Twee vrouwen in een paardenkoets" using watercolor. It’s all in shades of grey, like an old photograph, but it's also got this really fluid, washy quality. You can tell Louwerse wasn't precious about the outcome, more interested in the act of seeing and responding. The way the color seeps into the paper, especially in the horses, it's almost like the image is emerging from the mist. It’s a great example of what happens when you let the medium do its thing. Look at those legs, all streaky and gestural. It reminds me a little of Whistler's nocturnes, that same interest in atmosphere and mood, and that willingness to let the image hover between representation and abstraction. It all feels so light and spontaneous, like Louwerse was just trying to capture a fleeting moment in time, a memory of a horse and carriage. Isn't that what art is all about, that beautiful, messy process of trying to make sense of the world?