Landschap, Boitsfort 1892 - 1916

Rik Wouters made this watercolour painting, Landschap, Boitsfort, with a light touch. The paint is so fluid that forms become playful suggestions. It's as if Wouters is inviting us to collaborate in completing the scene, a gentle dance between the artist's hand and our imagination. Notice how he uses transparent washes, layering blues, greens, and reds to create depth without weighing down the composition. The way the colours bleed into each other suggests movement. Look closely at the upper-right area, how the leafy forms are defined with swift, confident strokes. It’s a masterclass in economy. Wouters’ approach here reminds me of Cezanne, who also used watercolour to explore the underlying structure of landscapes. Both artists embrace the unpredictable nature of the medium, allowing it to guide their process. It is like they are reminding us that in art, as in life, there's beauty in the unfinished, in the spaces between things.