Willows along the stream 1911

Ivan Grohar made Willows Along the Stream with oil paints, and the way he put the paint down tells its own story. It’s like he’s not just painting a landscape, but also the act of seeing itself. Up close, the surface is alive! You can see the thick impasto of the paint – it’s almost sculptural. The blues and greens are so intense, you can almost feel the cool dampness of the stream, and the texture gives the trees a tangible, almost rough presence. Look at how he uses short, choppy strokes to build up the foliage. Each dab and dash feels like a little decision, a small act of construction. Grohar reminds me a little of Van Gogh, in that he shares the same intensity and the same interest in landscape. It's like he’s reminding us that painting isn’t just about representation, but about feeling and experiencing the world. It’s about embracing ambiguity and letting the paint speak its own language.