Gartenlokal An Der Havel Unter Bäumen c. 1920 - 1922

Max Liebermann made this painting with oil on canvas, and it’s just so alive with movement. I can almost see him, brush in hand, building up this scene with quick, flickering strokes of greens and blues, punctuated by the whites of the table cloths and sailboats. You get the sense that Liebermann wasn't trying to capture every detail, but instead, he focused on the overall feeling of being in this busy garden café. The textures he's created with the paint – the rough bark of the trees, the soft light filtering through the leaves – make the scene so evocative. I’m immediately transported! I wonder what he was thinking about as he painted, maybe chasing after the way light dances on the water. Artists are always in conversation with one another; it's easy to see how the Impressionists inspired Liebermann. And that’s the beauty of painting, isn’t it? It’s like one long, ongoing conversation across time, inspiring each other to see the world in new ways.