S. Girolamo 1919

Julius Bissier made this dreamy landscape, S. Girolamo, with oil paint on canvas. The ochre hues and blurry, organic forms make me think of a hazy day. You can almost smell the leaves and the damp earth. I can just imagine Bissier standing here, brush in hand, lost in the act of translating the scene before him. He must have felt like he was right inside the painting. The application of paint is thin, which lends the piece a delicate quality. There’s something about the way he layered those washes that feels meditative. I’m reminded of Corot and other landscape painters who found magic in quiet, unassuming places. Bissier is obviously in conversation with them. Painting is like this, an ongoing exchange of ideas across time. Each painter takes what came before and makes something new. I love how the act of painting embraces ambiguity, opening a space of imagination for both the artist and the viewer.