Paises Bajos 1952

Carlos Nadal painted this little dream of a place, Paises Bajos, in oil, sometime in the 20th century. It's got this immediate, kind of tossed-off feel that I really dig. Check out how the surface has got this scrubby texture, almost like he was wiping away as much as he was adding. Look at the bare trees – they're not precious, just a few quick strokes to suggest the shape, and the buildings are wonky and charming, like they're about to topple over. Then you see the little figures, so tiny they’re almost swallowed up by the landscape. It’s like a memory, faded and a bit distorted. The whole painting reminds me of Dufy's cityscapes, where line and color are used to create an atmosphere more than a realistic depiction. It feels like Nadal is inviting us to wander through his own personal vision of a place, real or imagined.