Long Distance 1933

Haddon Hubbard Sundblom made this oil painting called Long Distance, we don’t know when exactly, but it's alive with brushstrokes and dreamy color. There's a real sense of process here, you can almost see the artist figuring things out as he goes. The paint has this juicy, almost edible quality. It’s thick in places, like the highlights on the woman’s dress, and then thin and transparent in others, creating this shimmer and sense of depth. Look at her hand shielding her eyes – that area is so sensitively painted, you can see how the light filters through her fingers. The color is subtle, and the brushstrokes are confident and fluid. It’s all soft edges and dappled light. The way he renders the blossom is pretty special too. It makes me think a little of John Singer Sargent, but with a more commercial sensibility, a warmth. It's a reminder that art is this ongoing conversation, always borrowing and reinventing. And that, like any good story, it’s the ambiguity, the questions it raises, that keep us coming back for more.