Febuary 1909

Jessie Willcox Smith made this illustration, February, and you can see the careful rendering of a group of girls playing with a huge ball on the green field that takes up the whole foreground. The artist has worked with the color palette of greens, browns and whites and has captured a beautiful sense of movement and energy. I can imagine the artist might have been thinking about creating a snapshot of youthful energy, and I think about how she has captured the feeling of anticipation. The girls’ faces are turned upward and their bodies ready to make a move. I like the sense of movement as they are poised to chase the ball; she has managed to capture the feeling of collective energy. I’m thinking about other artists who have represented groups in landscapes such as Pieter Bruegel and his scenes of peasant life, which captured the hustle and bustle of a community. I like to imagine artists in conversation across time, and Jessie Willcox Smith is asking us to see the fun side of sport and youth!