Notre-Dame, Ile de la Cité 1959

Ludwig Bemelmans made this watercolour and ink drawing of Notre-Dame on the Île de la Cité. He's captured the iconic cathedral, along with a whimsical view of Paris. I love how Bemelmans uses thin washes of colour, almost like he’s sketching with watercolour. The lines are loose and playful, giving the whole scene a light, airy feel. Notice how he uses the ink to define the architectural details, but never too rigidly. It's like he’s letting the city breathe. There’s something so charming about the way he simplifies the buildings into little blocks of colour. Look at the water in the foreground. The way he’s scribbled those green and blue lines, it’s almost abstract, but it perfectly captures the movement and shimmer of the river. It reminds me a little of Raoul Dufy. It’s like they’re both having a conversation across time, each capturing their own impression of the city. In the end, art is about looking at the world, and finding new ways to describe it.