Breakfast of the Birds 1934

Gabriele Münter made this oil painting, Breakfast of the Birds, with visible brushstrokes, and a palette that’s both muted and vibrant. The colors and their application make the work feel very present, as if it came together quite quickly. I love how the scene is built from these very distinct marks; look at the dab of pink that makes up one of the birds, set against the solid blue of the sky. Notice how the white paint sits on top of the branches, suggesting a heavy snowfall. The surface of the painting isn’t obscured or smoothed out. You can really sense the materiality of the paint itself. Münter’s relationship with Kandinsky makes me wonder how much they influenced each other. You get a sense of this conversation between them, especially in their shared interest in color and form. There’s something so satisfying about the way that art allows for this kind of visual exchange.