Vine Clad Shore–Monhegan Island 1913

George Bellows made this oil on canvas, Vine Clad Shore–Monhegan Island, without noting a date, but the quickness of the brush and the thickness of the paint make it look like it happened fast. The surface is alive with the tactile quality of thick paint. I love how the brushstrokes are so visible, like you can feel the energy of Bellows's hand moving across the canvas. The way he's built up the layers of paint creates a real sense of depth and texture, especially in the foreground, where these vibrant greens and grays play off each other. Check out the way the light hits the rocks, it almost feels like you could reach out and touch them. Then there’s that dark patch of green on the right, which seems to echo the rocks jutting out of the sea, and everything kind of rhymes together. Bellows seems to share some of that same energy and freedom of painters like Marsden Hartley or even Milton Avery, who weren't afraid to let their emotions guide their brush. What’s certain is that this piece celebrates the beauty of imperfection.