East River Park 1901

Maurice Prendergast made this watercolor, *East River Park,* sometime in the early 20th century, and it’s like a party in paint! The way he dabs and flicks the watercolor around, it's all about the joy of applying the stuff. Look at the figures scattered along the park; they’re not really about being people, they're more like splashes of color having a conversation. The whole thing feels so light, airy, and spontaneous. And the colors, right? They are translucent washes, one over the other, with these little dark accents that make everything pop. It is easy to imagine him soaking the paper and just letting the colors run into each other. It's almost like he's painting with light and air. Check out how he suggests the leaves on the trees with just a few blobs of green. It's this balance between control and letting go that makes the piece so alive, much like Boudin’s beach scenes, capturing a fleeting moment in time.