The Church, East Knoyle 1916

Lucien Pissarro’s painting, 'The Church, East Knoyle' is made with small flecks of layered color, like he's building the scene up from colored dust. I bet he was out there, feeling the air, squinting at the light. It’s like he’s trying to catch the exact shade of the stone in the church tower or how the leaves blush in the autumn. The way he dabs the paint, it's like he's recording his sensations, not just copying what's in front of him. It reminds me of those days when you just want to nail the color of something so bad you almost taste it. You can sense Pissarro's connection to his dad, Camille, but he’s doing his own thing, pushing and prodding to find his own voice. Making a painting can feel like that, a conversation with everyone who came before, but you're also trying to say something new, something only you can see and share.