Moonlight c. 1905

Julian Alden Weir made "Moonlight" using soft brushstrokes and a very muted palette; it’s as though he mixed the colors with moonlight itself. I can imagine Weir, out there at night, squinting to see, trying to capture what it feels like to be enveloped by the dark. There’s a kind of shimmering quality, a hazy atmosphere. The paint looks thin, like he’s scrubbed it onto the canvas, building up layers of translucent color. It reminds me a little of Corot, with its feathery touches and quiet mood. See how the vertical marks of the trees and the fence create this almost musical rhythm? Painters are always talking to each other, even across time. Weir was clearly looking at the Impressionists, but he’s doing something all his own. It’s this sense of stillness, the quiet observation, that I find so moving. Painting becomes a way of feeling and holding a moment, not just seeing it.