At the Wannsee 1934

Philipp Franck painted this watercolour, ‘At the Wannsee.’ It is full of washes of blues and greys. I wonder how Franck approached it? Did he start with the water, letting it dictate the rest? Did the sky set the tone? Look at how the colours run and blend. It must have been a joy to watch the pigment bloom across the page. The boats are ghostly and muted. They appear to be more felt than seen. It’s a painting about seeing, or about barely seeing. I see all the other painters in this one—Whistler, Turner, and others. The way Franck handles the water is reminiscent of their studies of light and atmosphere. Artists are always in conversation, aren’t they? Echoing each other across time, finding new ways to evoke a feeling of a place, a time, or a state of mind. Painting becomes a form of embodied expression that embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations.