The Sunny Brook, Chester, Vermont 1923

Willard Metcalf captured this sunny brook in Chester, Vermont, with oil on canvas. I can almost feel Metcalf searching for that perfect spot, where the light just kisses the water. You know, he’s laying down these little strokes, daubs of pale green and gold, trying to nail that fleeting moment when spring is just waking up. Look how the paint is thick in some spots, thin in others, almost like he’s sculpting with color. I imagine him thinking about Monet, maybe even Corot, those other painters who were obsessed with light. I bet he was trying to find his own voice, his own way to capture what it feels like to be in that exact place, at that exact time. Painting, really, is like having a conversation with all these artists across time. Each brushstroke is a little whisper, a little echo. It’s never really finished, is it?