View of Nantes 1890 - 1928

Willem Leendert Bruckman made this painting of Nantes with oil on canvas, but when? The artist stands before a misty waterscape. The scene is still. I can almost hear the sounds of the city slowly waking, of boats gently lapping against the shore. And I think he probably stood there with a small brush, dabbing at the canvas to make the scene feel real. Imagine standing where he stood, trying to figure out how to capture the quality of the light, the subtle differences between the blues and greens, the way the scene seems to disappear into the horizon. The colour palette is muted and calming, but alive. Bruckman’s painting feels like a moment of exchange, an attempt to record what he saw, but also to add something of himself. All artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. We all have our say.