Old Jaffa Port 1983

Alexander Bogen made this watercolor of Old Jaffa Port, we think in 1983, with paper and pigment, of course. Look at how Bogen teases out the colors of the scene. It's like he's coaxing the watercolor to do what he wants. You see how he lets the paint drip and pool? See the way the colors bleed into each other, all soft and dreamy? It’s like he's not trying to control everything, but instead letting the medium do its thing. Notice the way the ochre sand meets the blue of the sea. It is like a conversation between the two, with the boats as the characters. It gives the whole scene a loose, flowing feel, but the dark inky shadows under the boats anchors them, giving a sense of gravity and place. Bogen's approach reminds me of other painters like Emil Nolde, who really knew how to make watercolor sing. I find something new every time I look at it. It's like Bogen is inviting us to slow down, to wander, and to wonder.