View of Nantes 1890 - 1928

Willem Bruckman’s ‘View of Nantes’ is an oil painting made at an unknown date that captures a cityscape in muted tones. The brushwork here is feathery and light, like he’s trying to catch a fleeting moment. You can almost feel the damp air! Looking closely, the texture of the paint is really interesting. It’s thin in places, almost transparent, especially in the water, but then thicker and more opaque as it defines the buildings. It gives the painting a kind of luminous quality, like the city is emerging from the mist. The way the light hits the cathedral, it’s not about perfect detail, but more about capturing the overall feeling of the place. This reminds me a lot of Corot's landscapes, that similar sense of atmospheric light and quiet observation. Both artists show us that painting isn’t just about what you see, but how you feel.