The Crowd

What is a city? A forest of steel, or this ever-surging tide of people? My palette knife seeks to capture this life force. I don’t detail faces; in the city, we are all blurred silhouettes swept along by the torrent of our times. I use thick oil paint and decisive scrapes to knead figures and background together, their outlines dissolving into the mottled urban light.

The soul of this painting is “movement.” Cyclists, pedestrians, a pause at a traffic light—countless instants are compressed into one frame. Vertical strokes build the cold high-rises, horizontal strokes cut across the streets, and diagonal, fragmented color blocks express the human surge. It’s the city’s rhythm: tense, fast, yet ordered.

Color is my emotional outlet. Cool blues and teals form the city’s rational foundation. But warm ochres, yellows, and reds—car lights, billboards, the fire of hope—dance against the cool tones, giving the crowd its warmth. This is my symphony for all urban wanderers.

#urban landscape #expressionistic city #palette knife #figurative abstract #energetic chaotic #modern city life #blue and yellow #oil painting