Oyster Sloop,Cos Cob 1902

Childe Hassam made this painting of an oyster sloop in Cos Cob with oil on canvas, probably en plein air, so he could really see the light. I love how Hassam built up the scene with all these tiny strokes of color. You can almost feel the sun on your face and the gentle rocking of the boat. I imagine him squinting, trying to capture the way the light dances on the water, turning it into a shimmering, liquid surface. He was part of a group of American Impressionists, and you can see how they were all looking at what Monet and Renoir were doing in France, but with an American twist. It’s like they’re saying, "Hey, we can do that too, but we’ll paint our own backyards!" It's all one big conversation that artists have been having for centuries.