Kosovski Božuri – Gračanica 1913

Nadezda Petrovic made Kosovski Božuri – Gračanica with oil paint in a way that feels both urgent and deeply felt. Look at those reds and greens, they’re laid down in thick, juicy strokes, like she was wrestling with the landscape itself! I find myself drawn to the lower part of the canvas, where the field of red flowers explodes towards us. Each dab of paint is so present, so physical. You can almost feel the energy of the artist as she built up this vibrant carpet of colour. It's not just a pretty scene; it's a record of a painter thinking through paint, a dance between observation and pure, gutsy expression. There's a kinship here, for me, with Van Gogh – that same willingness to let the paint be itself, to embrace the messy, tactile qualities of the medium. It’s a reminder that art is not just about depicting the world, but about experiencing it, and sharing that experience with others.