The Violinist (The Violin: Girl with a Violin III) 1902

Joseph DeCamp painted The Violinist with oil on canvas sometime between 1890 and 1920. It’s all about subtlety; the colours are muted, almost monochromatic, and the brushstrokes blend seamlessly. It’s like he’s trying to capture a fleeting moment, a sense of quiet contemplation. I love how the light filters through the window, illuminating the woman’s dress. It’s painted with such delicate strokes, you can almost feel the texture of the fabric. And the way he’s captured the light reflecting off the violin, it’s just gorgeous. The whole thing has this hazy, dreamlike quality, like a memory fading at the edges. Look closely at the way the figure blends into the background. It almost reminds me of some of Whistler’s tonalist works. DeCamp was part of the Boston School, and like other painters in this group such as Edmund Tarbell, he was deeply influenced by the Old Masters. But there’s also something very modern about the way he’s playing with light and atmosphere. For me it's this ability to look both backwards and forwards that makes this painting so compelling.