En riddare red fram 1915

John Bauer made this painting, "En riddare red fram", with watercolor and graphite and I think it's all about the journey. The surface is so smooth, washy, and atmospheric; it's not about brushstrokes at all, but about an overall mood. The whole painting glows with an otherworldly light; the blues and grays make the scene feel simultaneously cold and warm. The textures are flat but layered, particularly in the horse's mane. Look at how Bauer uses the graphite under-drawing to give the horse's mane a silvery sheen. It makes me think about how, in art, there's no single way to do anything. You can use any material to make any kind of mark, and sometimes those unexpected combinations are where the magic happens. Bauer's work reminds me of other illustrators, like Edmund Dulac or Kay Nielsen, who created fairy-tale worlds that feel both beautiful and a little bit haunting. Art is just one big conversation, a constant remixing of ideas and styles.