Walker Bay from Onrus 1922

Maggie Laubser built up this view of Walker Bay from Onrus with thick strokes of blue and green paint, punctuated by flashes of white. You can almost feel the artist standing there, battling the wind as she tries to capture the scene. I wonder what Laubser was thinking as she applied those choppy brushstrokes? Maybe she felt the need to wrestle with the landscape, to simplify its forms and flatten its perspective. There's a directness in the way she’s handled the paint – almost like she's attacking the canvas, trying to get at something raw and essential. The blues and greens aren't blended, they vibrate, and the white crests of the waves look like a hasty afterthought, but somehow they bring the scene to life. It’s like she's saying, "this is how I see it, take it or leave it." Artists are always in dialogue, riffing off one another’s ideas and approaches. This painting leaves me feeling energized, like I want to run to my studio and start slinging paint around!