Nächtliche Straßenszene, Berlin 1920

Lesser Ury’s painting "Nächtliche Straßenszene, Berlin" captures a wet Berlin street at night using oil on canvas. What strikes me first is the dark palette, punctuated by these bursts of light. It’s like he’s reaching into the gloom, pulling out little fragments of the scene. Look at the way he renders the streetlights and reflections. Short, broken strokes of white and yellow create a shimmering effect, suggesting the slickness of the wet pavement. There's a real sense of immediacy here, a feeling that Ury was working quickly, trying to capture a fleeting moment. The paint is applied thinly in layers, allowing the dark ground to show through in places, adding to the overall moodiness. Ury’s painting reminds me a bit of James McNeill Whistler's nocturnes. Both artists were interested in capturing the atmospheric effects of urban life. Art is a conversation, right? An ongoing exchange of ideas across time. It’s not about fixed meanings but embracing ambiguity and multiple interpretations.