Landschap, Boitsfort 1892 - 1916

Rik Wouters made this watercolor painting in Boitsfort, probably en plein air, with a limited palette and a focus on capturing the ephemeral effects of light and atmosphere. I can almost feel Wouters dabbing at the paper, coaxing these delicate washes of color into existence. What do you make of the way he's built up the composition? The subtle blues and greens suggest foliage, maybe, while the reds and browns hint at pots and rooftops. It's all so fleeting, so suggestive. I’m thinking about the emotional tone. There's a quiet joy here, isn't there? A feeling of being present in the moment, of really seeing the world around you? I wonder if Wouters was looking at Cezanne when he painted this. Like Cezanne, he seems to be searching for the underlying structure of things, but with a lighter, more lyrical touch. It reminds me that painting isn't just about representation, it's about feeling, about connecting with the world in a visceral way. And in that sense, every painting is a conversation, a dialogue across time and space.