Le printemps 2002

Aurel Cojan made this watercolor, Le Printemps—or Springtime—with loose washes of colour and line. It's like a page from a sketchbook, a scattering of thoughts. I can imagine Cojan in his studio, thinking about the season, trying to capture it in the way the light falls. See how the paint is so thin and translucent that the paper shines through. I love how you can see the ghost of the artist’s hand and mind at work, trying to catch something elusive, scribbling and drawing. There's a sort of lightness of touch and a sense of improvisation. These soft pinks, yellows, lilacs, and greens, and the open composition, remind me of the late works of Bonnard, who also sought to capture fleeting moments of perception in paint. It feels as though Cojan is also trying to record a sensation—a feeling of growth, renewal, and the transience of beauty. There's something about the way artists look at each other’s work that feels like a shared conversation, an ongoing exchange.