Landscape with Grey Clouds 1935

This landscape by Gregoire Boonzaier seems to have been laid down in strokes of varying shades of green and blue, punctuated by ochre-coloured houses dotted here and there. I can imagine Boonzaier outdoors, squinting at the light, trying to get the grey clouds just so, that moment before the storm hits. Look how the clouds loom—you can almost feel the humidity in the air! I wonder if he was racing against time, trying to capture the light before it shifted. There's a real sense of immediacy, a connection to the land, you know? Like he's not just painting what he sees but also what he feels. I recognize that struggle, that impulse to translate the world onto canvas. It reminds me of those plein air painters from the 19th century, like Courbet, who were all about capturing the fleeting moment. Painting is a way of thinking, of trying to understand the world, and I see that in Boonzaier's work here. It’s an ongoing conversation, this painting thing, and we’re all just adding our voices to the mix.