Fisherman, Isle Of Shoals 1903

Childe Hassam drew this sketch of a fisherman at the Isles of Shoals, probably with pastels or conte crayons, where lines create form. I imagine him outside, on location, squinting in bright sunlight as he scribbles the lines. The paper is toned, a sandy kind of beige, and Hassam lets it peek through, using it as a color, a tone. I feel for Hassam, out there on the boat, probably rocking a bit, trying to capture the scene, wondering what to leave in and take out. How to make something feel real with just a few lines. There’s a confident sketchiness that makes the work feel very fresh and alive. Notice how the brown lines vibrate against the blues of the fisherman's overalls. Painters are always looking at other painters, riffing and building on the past in their own way. I wonder who Hassam was looking at when he made this?