Rivierlandschap met kerktoren, bij storm

Frans Smissaert made this watercolor of a river landscape, complete with church tower, during a storm. Look at the way Smissaert allows the paint to pool and blend; it’s all about capturing a mood, a fleeting moment, the sense of the storm moving in and over this little town. The stormy atmosphere comes to life through the watery washes, which feel totally appropriate for a landscape with water and big skies. There’s a real looseness here, like the artist was trying to catch something that was always just beyond reach. But it's that little steeple peeking out that grounds the whole scene, like a tiny, hopeful exclamation point. It reminds me of some of Turner’s more atmospheric watercolors, where the details almost disappear into the light and weather. Ultimately, what I love about this piece is its embrace of ambiguity; it doesn’t tell you exactly what to see, but invites you to feel the weather, the place, the moment.