Danish Roadside 1930

William H. Johnson made "Danish Roadside" with oil paint in Denmark, and looking at it is like watching a painter think. The paint is laid on thick, almost sculpted, in simple strokes. Check out the way he renders those trees, short dashes of green layered over each other to create volume, like a little forest of gestures. The sky is a frenzy of blues and grays, quick strokes that feel like he’s capturing the movement of the clouds, not just their appearance. And that little path cutting through the scene? It's rendered with such a playful, almost childlike simplicity, bordered with dabs of color suggesting flowers. Johnson reminds me of Milton Avery, who also had a knack for boiling down scenes to their emotional essence, leaving out the fussy details. "Danish Roadside" isn’t just a painting, it’s a conversation, an ongoing exploration of what it means to see and feel the world.