Blühender Schlangenkaktus vor Seelandschaft 1944

Adolf Dietrich made this painting of a Blühender Schlangenkaktus, or blossoming snake cactus, before a Seelandschaft. I just love how this painting comes together; the surface is almost like a cool morning mist, but there are these bursts of bright red flowers that really pop. Looking closely, the details are pretty amazing. You can see the marks where the brush has dragged across the canvas. The flowers are like little fireworks, with each petal carefully painted. It's like Dietrich was really looking, not just at the plant but also at the light hitting it. The background is subtle, a hazy landscape that makes the cactus feel even more alive. It reminds me a little of Henri Rousseau, someone else who could make the ordinary seem magical. Dietrich’s painting is a reminder that art can be found in the everyday, in the way we choose to see the world.