Quai in Hamburg 1900 - 1902

Max Liebermann made "Quai in Hamburg" with watercolour. Look at how he's evoked that harbour. The sky’s overcast, casting a muted light over the scene. You can almost feel the dampness in the air, hear the creak of the boats. The composition is built up of washes and quick strokes. Did he begin by mapping out the overall scene, then adding details with layered washes? See how the masts are described with such simple, confident gestures. It's the type of painting that grows from a set of repeated, almost unconscious gestures. I see painters like Liebermann as part of a grand tradition, responding to the world around them with such immediacy. A kind of embodied expression, embracing ambiguity and uncertainty. It’s like he’s saying, "Here's what I saw, here's what I felt—now, what do you see?"