Along the Shore 1915

Maurice Prendergast made this painting, Along the Shore, with oil on canvas, and look at the activity of the brushstrokes, how they almost vibrate with life! I can just imagine him, out there, squinting in the sun, trying to capture all the energy of a day at the beach. I wonder if he was thinking about the French Impressionists, about capturing a fleeting moment in time? But Prendergast has his own thing going on, right? He’s not just trying to copy what he sees, he’s building up the painting bit by bit, with all these tiny little marks, each one a little world of color in itself. The figures are all kind of blurry and indistinct, but that’s part of the beauty of it – you can feel the movement and the buzz of the crowd. Look at those orange parasols. Doesn't it make you want to jump right into the scene? I love to think about how artists are always in dialogue with each other, building on the ideas of those who came before. And here, Prendergast takes the baton and runs with it, creating something totally unique and wonderful. It’s a feeling, an impression, a memory of a day at the beach.