Dune near Nordwijk with Child 1906

Max Liebermann painted this scene of a dune near Nordwijk with a child, and you can almost smell the North Sea air. The sandy yellows and greens are laid down in loose brushstrokes, like he was trying to catch a fleeting moment. I wonder what Liebermann was thinking as he painted this. Was he trying to capture the light, the feeling of the wind? The paint isn't too thick, but you can still see each stroke, each decision he made. Look at the way he painted the grass, those quick, diagonal marks – you can almost feel it swaying. It makes me think of other painters who were wrestling with similar ideas, like the Impressionists and their attempts to paint light itself. Artists are always talking to each other across time, borrowing ideas, pushing back against them, inspiring each other. And we, the viewers, get to eavesdrop on that conversation. Painting isn't about answers, it's about questions, possibilities, and the messy, beautiful act of trying to make sense of the world.