St Clare 1919

Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale made this watercolor drawing of St. Clare, and she has an interesting relationship with the plants she is tending. Imagine Fortescue-Brickdale’s act of looking and painting, a deep dive into the details of St Clare’s habit, the leaves, the water, and the flowers! Fortescue-Brickdale has really noticed the edges of things – the way a petal unfurls, the curve of a stem. Look at the way Fortescue-Brickdale shows the light hitting the rim of the watering can, making the metal gleam. Maybe Fortescue-Brickdale felt a kinship with the artist-nun, both of them committed to a life of quiet devotion and attention to detail. The whole composition feels balanced and serene, like a little oasis. Painters are always in conversation with each other, across time, inspiring one another to really see. Painting feels like such an embodied expression, leaving room for ambiguity and multiple readings.