Maastik Võrumaalt 1916 - 1917

Konrad Mägi painted this landscape of Võrumaa with oil on canvas sometime in the early 20th century, and what strikes me first is how alive the surface is. Look at how Mägi builds up the paint, especially in the trees – each stroke is like a little jewel, catching the light, and giving the whole scene a vibrant, almost shimmering quality. You can really feel the materiality of the paint, the way it's dabbed and layered to create texture and depth. Then there’s the color – that intense blue in the water, reflected in the sky, contrasted with the greens and earthy reds of the land. It's so saturated, almost fauvist in its intensity, and yet there’s something so grounded and real about it too. The way Mägi uses color and texture reminds me a bit of Van Gogh, that same sense of trying to capture the raw energy of nature through the act of painting itself. It’s like he’s not just depicting a landscape, but also giving us a glimpse into his own emotional landscape. Painting is like a conversation, right? And this piece is Mägi’s way of talking to us, sharing his vision, and inviting us to see the world in a new way.