Blick auf Wien von der Türkenschanze 1911

Tina Blau’s Blick auf Wien von der Türkenschanze is an oil painting, and it feels like it was made in a single breath. The brushwork is vigorous, almost impatient, isn't it? You can see how Blau layers strokes of muted greens and ochres to build up this view of Vienna, capturing a sense of place, and of being in place. There is a tactile sense of the artist dragging the paint across the canvas, pushing and pulling to evoke the landscape. Up close, those greens resolve into browns and yellows, and the canvas becomes a topography of its own. That hill on the left seems to be the key here. It’s not just a hill, it's the guts of the painting, and those strokes of colour feel like they’re working something out. It reminds me of Courbet, maybe, in its commitment to seeing. Painting isn't just about representing; it's about digging in, getting your hands dirty, and trying to figure out what it all means.