Schlossmuseum in Linz 2020

Gazmend Freitag made *Schlossmuseum in Linz* in 2020, working with watercolour and pencil on paper. I love the way the buildings and sky seem to emerge from the ground, like ghosts or memories that never quite take solid form. The colours are mostly muted browns and creams, but then there are these pops of brighter, almost turquoise greens that appear in the foliage. It’s a very painterly image, but the way the artist applies the washes, diluted almost to nothing, creates a very fleeting, dreamlike atmosphere. Look at the way the artist scumbles and smudges the pencil lines, creating a sense of depth and movement. The surface has a delicate, almost fragile quality, like it could be erased with a touch. The lack of clear, defined edges is interesting, making the forms feel unstable and provisional, caught in a perpetual state of becoming. It reminds me of Turner, who was also interested in capturing the ephemerality of light and atmosphere, that feeling of being on the edge of something. Ultimately, it's a great piece of art that invites you to engage with it, think about it, and draw your own conclusions.