Duinlandschap met kudde

Frans Smissaert made this watercolor landscape, ‘Duinlandschap met kudde’, the title translates to ‘Dune Landscape with Herd’ at some point in his career, though the exact date is unknown. The washes of color are so light, barely there, a whisper of pigment on paper. Look at the way the colors pool and bleed into each other, how the clouds seem to float right off the page. I particularly love the little flock of birds; they are just a few strokes of the brush, a little like a signature. The brushwork is so free and loose, you can almost feel the wind blowing across the dunes. It’s like Smissaert is saying, "Here's a place, not a specific place, but a feeling of place." This reminds me of the work of James McNeill Whistler, who also used watercolor to create atmospheric landscapes. Both artists are interested in capturing a mood, a fleeting moment in time. Like all the best art, it leaves you with more questions than answers.