Harbor, Afternoon 1906

Maurice Prendergast made this oil painting called *Harbor, Afternoon*, and its staccato marks and high-key palette make the scene feel bright, sunny, and a little bit delirious. I can imagine Prendergast layering these little jabs of paint, one after the other, maybe outside in the elements, capturing the light, the atmosphere, and the mood of this busy harbor scene. The paint is thin but textured, each daub a small decision building into a shimmering whole. Look at the way he renders the figures on the grassy bank in the foreground; they are built up with individual strokes of color, which creates a sense of movement, as if they are caught in a snapshot. Prendergast’s painting reminds me of other late 19th-century painters like Bonnard and Vuillard, who were also interested in capturing fleeting moments of everyday life with a joyful and modern sensibility. Painting is always a conversation, right? A call and response across generations. And this painting invites us to join the dialogue. It embraces uncertainty and ambiguity, so let’s dive into the painting and find out what the painting has to say.