Gulls 1941

Albert Bloch made ‘Gulls’ with oil on canvas, and looking at it I feel like I can almost smell the sea air. There's a real process at work here, a kind of layering and building up of marks that really draws me in. Up close, you can see how Bloch really worked that paint, dragging it, layering it, using the brush almost like a sculpting tool. The surface is thick, with these peaks and troughs of paint that catch the light. It feels like a landscape that's been through a lot, weathered and worn, but still full of life. Look at the way he's rendered that winding path, those sweeping lines, they create a sense of depth and movement. It has something of Emil Nolde to it, that expressive, almost raw quality. Like Nolde, Bloch embraces ambiguity, inviting us to bring our own experiences and associations to the work. Ultimately, I think 'Gulls' reminds us that art is a conversation, an exchange of ideas and feelings that transcends time.