Moonlight 1901

Frank Benson made this painting 'Moonlight' with oil on canvas, and I can only imagine how many layers he must have built up to create this striking scene. Looking at the painting, I think about the pure physicality of applying paint to canvas, and how the artist might have wrestled with the medium to get it just right. I imagine him thinking about the way light reflects off water, the way the moon creates shadows and highlights, trying to capture that fleeting moment in time. I can see the push and pull of brushstrokes, the layering of colours, and how the surface is built up with thick daubs of paint. See how those gestures, each one loaded with intention, build the drama of the scene. I'm thinking of other painters too, of course. Everyone is working in a kind of conversation with what others have done. Benson’s play with light and dark maybe reminds me of Whistler's nocturnes. But while Whistler’s scenes feel calm and still, Benson's capture the wildness of the sea. In the end, paintings like this offer no fixed meaning, just an ongoing conversation. I think that's why so many artists are drawn to the ocean, so many of us feel the urge to try and capture its changing surface.