View of Stockholm 1917

Isaac Grünewald conjured this View of Stockholm with oils on canvas. I wonder about the painting's journey into being. It feels like a landscape emerging through trial, error, and intuition. The pinks are so dominant, like a filter over the city, and the bold, simple shapes of the buildings are unapologetic. I think Grünewald may have been inspired by Matisse’s Fauvist landscapes but was pushing painting in his own way. That single stroke of bright blue that runs diagonally across the top half of the painting is so confident. What was he thinking when he made it? It's like he's saying, "Here's how I see the world, take it or leave it." Painting is this ongoing conversation across time. Each artist adds their voice, building on what came before, responding to their contemporaries, and inspiring those who follow. We can never know the answer for sure, but that’s what’s exciting.