The Hawk 1909

Charles Courtney Curran made this painting called ‘The Hawk’ with oil paint, and it’s the kind of painting you can really fall into. The brushwork is broken, almost pointillist, with dabs of blues, yellows, and whites that build up this airy atmosphere. It's not about perfection, but more about capturing a feeling, the way light dances and shifts. See how the sky is made of tiny marks, like a mosaic? It gives the painting a shimmer, a sense of movement. The paint isn’t thick, it's almost translucent in places, allowing the canvas to breathe. And then there's that hawk, just a tiny dark shape against the vast sky. It’s a reminder of how small we are, but also of the endless possibilities that lie ahead. It brings to mind Homer, and his landscapes, where humans are also just a part of nature, small elements in a bigger composition. It’s like Curran is saying, "Look at the world, it’s full of wonder, go explore!"