Moonlight on the Sound 1906

Childe Hassam’s ‘Moonlight on the Sound’ is made of oil paint and a whole lot of blue. Look at the brushstrokes that give the painting life and movement! I imagine the way the artist daubed and swiped and blended the paint, losing and finding the horizon line in the process. I feel like Hassam must have been trying to capture a feeling, more than an image. I can almost feel the cool, damp night air and smell the sea. I wonder if he was on a boat himself, or standing on the shore? See how he’s laid the paint on thinly in some areas, almost like a wash, and then built it up in others to create texture and depth? That little sailboat is so delicately rendered, a tiny white triangle in all that blue. Hassam reminds me of Whistler and Homer, painters of mood and atmosphere. We’re all just trying to express something about what it feels like to be alive, right? And painting is such a great way to do that, because it's so open to interpretation. There’s no right or wrong way to feel about this painting. Just let it wash over you and see what happens.