Waidhofen an der Ybbs c. 1938

Carl Moll conjured up this waterside view of Waidhofen an der Ybbs with oil paints, and a whole lot of sunshine. He's layered the colours right next to each other, so the painting shimmers in front of you. You can feel the heat coming off it! The marks are laid on thick, especially in the reflections on the water. He's used the brush almost like a trowel, smearing the paint around to give a real sense of movement and light. It's really about the pleasure of pushing the paint around - the buildings almost feel secondary to that. Look at the roof of the building in the foreground; he’s used these dashes of blue and grey to give a sense of depth, and they contrast with the ochre bricks to bring out a warm glow. He does this all over the painting, it's very clever, it gives a sense of vitality to what could otherwise be quite a conventional scene. It reminds me a little of the way Klimt used colour, though Moll has a more grounded feel to his work. It’s a conversation, and everyone has their say.