Surge during rain 1951

Arno König made this watercolor, "Surge during rain," on paper, and its translucent washes of grey, green, and purple give it a dreamy, ephemeral quality. I can imagine König outside, maybe on a blustery day, quickly capturing the scene, trying to pin down that feeling of a storm rolling in. The horizontal bands feel so intuitive, like a direct response to the landscape. There’s a dark green slash that could be the horizon line, heavy clouds rendered in smoky purples looming above, and lighter bands suggesting the froth of the water. The marks are so direct and honest, like he’s saying, “This is what it feels like to be here, now.” It reminds me of painters like Emil Nolde, who were also trying to capture the raw energy of nature. Paintings like this remind me that artists are always in conversation, riffing off each other, finding new ways to express the messy, beautiful, and fleeting moments of being alive. They leave us something to look at, and through which we might feel something too.