At the Piano 1908

Childe Hassam created "At the Piano" with oil on canvas, and what strikes me is the pure atmosphere of the thing. The walls, the woman's dress, the vase of flowers, the piano. Everything seems to float in the same tonal register, a haze of gold and white. I imagine Hassam, brush in hand, trying to pin down the feel of this particular interior, the light as it diffused through the space. I bet he worked at it, layering, wiping away, until it came together as this evocative scene. Look at the way the light catches on the woman's dress, how he's captured the sheen of the fabric with short, broken strokes. You can almost hear the music, a soft, lilting melody that blends into the domestic hum of the room. And isn't painting just like music, really? It's all about rhythm and tone, working in concert to create a feeling that resonates long after the moment has passed.