De haven te Oostende 1909

Léon Spilliaert made this painting of the port of Oostende with a subtle palette and a sense of calm. Imagine him standing there, probably freezing, staring out at these masts of the boats with their rigging creating a cat's cradle of lines against the sky. It's such a specific time of day, and the tones are so quiet and grey. He's not giving us drama, but a really still moment. I imagine him just trying to record the sensation of being there; the crisp sea air and the way the light hits those rooftops. The way the masts intersect with the horizon, and the whole composition becomes a study in verticality. Painters like Spilliaert always remind me that we're all just trying to figure out how to see, and how to translate what we see into something else, something felt. It’s the painter’s exchange across time and space.