Boslandschap, mogelijk in Zuid-Afrika 1967 - 1971

Willem Jacob van den Berg made this small painting of a wooded landscape, possibly in South Africa, in the mid-twentieth century. See how the mountain rises up, soft and pinkish against the paler sky. It's all atmosphere here, a misty memory of color. I imagine Willem, squinting in the sun, quickly laying down these washes of earth tones and dusky rose. The paint looks thin, almost translucent, allowing the white of the paper or board to peek through. What was he thinking as he painted? Maybe about the light, the weight of the air, or the silent presence of the mountain itself. It reminds me of other landscape painters like, say, Lois Dodd, who found so much to look at in the everyday. This little painting isn't trying to shout; instead, it invites you into a quiet, reflective space. Like a conversation between artists across time, each of us trying to capture something of the world as we see it, feel it, and remember it.