Prague, Vltava River 1924

Dobri Dobrev painted this view of Prague’s Vltava River with oil on canvas sometime during his lifetime. I love how the painting is built up from small, deliberate marks. It really speaks to the idea of artmaking as a careful, considered process. The material quality of the paint is quite striking. The artist has captured the texture of the leaves with a series of little dabs, juxtaposed against the dark, flowing water. Looking closely, you can almost feel the way the brush must have danced across the canvas. See how the light catches the edge of each brushstroke in the lower third of the frame? These small gestures create a sense of movement and depth, drawing us into the scene. Dobrev’s work reminds me a little of Corot, especially in the atmospheric treatment of light and water. But where Corot is all about capturing a fleeting moment, Dobrev seems more interested in the act of observation itself. In both cases, art is embraced as a conversation across time. There's no one definitive answer. It’s more like a beautiful question.