The track to the farm 1926

Hans Heysen gave us this painting with oils and a loaded brush, and I can imagine him out there, breathing the air, feeling the sun (or lack thereof). Look how the strokes are laid down, thick and juicy – especially in that haystack, which is more like a hay-mountain! You can almost smell the cut grass, the earth. I can imagine Heysen squinting, trying to capture the light as it bounces off the land, the sky. What was he thinking about as he daubed and dabbed? Was he humming a tune? Did he stop for lunch? You know, painting isn't just about what you see, but what you feel, what you remember, and what you invent. It's a conversation with the world, and with all the painters who came before. It's all just one big messy, beautiful, ongoing experiment.