The Secret Garden 1912

Charles Robinson made this image, The Secret Garden, using line, watercolor, and graphite. Just look at the pale wash of the background, the way it almost melts into a watercolour dream. It's easy to imagine Robinson, hovering over his desk, carefully applying the paint, maybe he’s thinking about children’s literature, or his own childhood. He’s using the medium to create an atmosphere, a feeling, not just a picture. It is a technique so delicate and considered it reminds me of the Pre-Raphaelites. See the roses at the top right corner and how they lead your eye, soft pink against a muted gray, the controlled, refined brushstrokes, pulling you into a world of fantasy. The muted palette really contributes to the emotional and intellectual resonance of this picture. Robinson is in conversation with illustrators of the time, he’s taking their ideas and twisting them, making them his own. It's such a beautiful piece of embodied expression, and so open to interpretation, each viewer bringing their own memories and emotions to the secret world within the work.