Ortschaft bei trübem Wetter c. 1909 - 1910

Tina Blau made this oil painting on a day heavy with cloud cover, probably en plein air. I can imagine her setting up her easel quickly to capture the light before the storm. See how she has applied the paint thinly in layers, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere. Those muted tones of brown, grey, and ochre, make for a moody, melancholic feeling. The way Blau renders the thatched roofs is interesting. Is she thinking about texture or the way they absorb the light? I wonder if, like many women artists of her time, Blau had to fight to be taken seriously. Did she use landscape painting to express her feelings about the world? I like to think of artists as being in conversation with each other across time, responding to each other's ideas and approaches. This painting reminds me a little bit of Courbet, but also feels unique to Blau's own vision and experience.