Study of tree 1907

Richard Gerstl made this painting of a tree using oil on canvas. I imagine him standing en plein air with his materials, capturing the essence of the tree before him. The painting is filled with gestural marks and a palette dominated by greens, browns, and blues. It feels like a process of trial, error, and intuition, where the image shifts and emerges with each brushstroke. I can just imagine Gerstl's intensity and focus as he layers paint onto the canvas. The texture is palpable, thick in some areas, thin in others. This kind of attention to the material aspects of painting shapes our experience of the work, contributing to its emotional and intellectual resonance. The way he renders the leaves, for example, with short, choppy strokes, communicates a feeling of movement. It’s like he’s trying to capture not just what the tree looks like, but how it feels to be in its presence. Painters are always talking to other painters, like Gerstl talking to Van Gogh, in a conversation across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. Painting becomes a form of embodied expression, embracing ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.