Træstudie. 1913

Othon Friesz made this tree study, Træstudie, with watercolor and pencil on paper. The painting feels provisional, like a sketch, capturing a momentary impression of the forest. Look at the way the branches reach out, their forms delineated with quick strokes of brown and green, while the foliage bursts forth in dabs of ochre. I can imagine Friesz, standing en plein air, rapidly capturing the scene before him, his hand moving instinctively to translate the energy of the forest onto the page. The pencil marks underneath suggest that Friesz was really trying to figure out the structure of the thing, before committing to the paint. You know, that bit where you think, should I go left, or should I go right? Friesz was part of the same generation as Matisse, and there's a similar interest in the fauvist use of colour to describe the scene. Like all painters, these guys were in constant conversation with each other, even across time. It makes you wonder what they'd make of my paintings!