Zwei Reiter in der Allee bei Sakrow 1924

Max Liebermann made this painting, Zwei Reiter in der Allee bei Sakrow, with oil on canvas. Look at the thick strokes of emerald and viridian that evoke dappled light filtering through the trees. You can almost feel the artist working en plein air, capturing the fleeting moment with bold, confident strokes. Liebermann’s process seems to have involved a dance between observation and improvisation. The canvas is activated by dynamic brushwork to create a sense of movement and immediacy. Those dark tree trunks, rendered with decisive strokes of deep brown, establish a sturdy rhythm that contrasts to the lush green foliage. The paint is applied thickly. This adds a tactile dimension to the scene and emphasizes the physicality of the medium. Liebermann surely was trying to do what all artists do – to leave a trace of something seen or felt in the world. He continues the conversation of the Impressionists while anticipating the expressive freedom of later painters. I mean, that’s what we all do: borrow, steal, and cobble things together in our own way. That’s the joy and struggle of art, right?