Landscape with Figures 1913

Maurice Prendergast made this painting, Landscape with Figures, with oil on canvas. It feels like a hot day. The brushstrokes are like dabs of sunshine, little commas of color bumping up against each other to make trees, dresses, hats. I can imagine Prendergast outside, squinting, trying to capture the way the light bounces off everything. He probably had to work fast to catch the fleeting moments of the day. Did he start with a sketch, or just dive right in with those juicy colors? I'm thinking of other painters like Bonnard, Vuillard, even, later, David Hockney. There's a real joy in the way he handles the paint. Look at the red hats, how they pop against the green and yellow. Each stroke feels like a tiny decision, a little burst of energy. It's like he's inviting us to slow down and really look, not just at the scene, but at the way it's made, layer upon layer. Because that’s painting, right? It’s an ongoing conversation between artists, and that conversation never ends.