River Among Snow 1917

Julian Fałat created this watercolour, River Among Snow, with delicate washes and muted tones. The painting feels like a fleeting, wintry scene, a moment captured in the cool, quiet light. I can imagine Fałat outside, his hands numb as he swiftly applied the paint, trying to catch the ephemeral quality of the snow and water. There's something so raw and immediate about watercolour; it demands a certain decisiveness, a willingness to embrace the unpredictable. The colour palette is subdued – mostly blues, grays, and whites – but it creates a harmonious and almost melancholic mood. It reminds me a little of Whistler’s nocturnes, where atmosphere and feeling take precedence over detail. I am drawn to the way he describes the snow-covered bank through a series of horizontal brushstrokes that seem to mimic the slow, steady flow of the river itself. Ultimately, painting is a conversation across time. We look, respond, and continue the dialogue, each artist building on what came before, always in search of new ways of seeing.