October 1903

William Merritt Chase made "October" with oil on canvas, and what strikes me is the hazy field of view and the soft, muted palette. I love how everything feels a bit indefinite, emerging through trial, error, and intuition. I can imagine Chase standing there, squinting in the autumn light, trying to capture the feeling of the landscape as much as the landscape itself. Look at how the strokes of paint build up a kind of texture. You can feel the cool air and the dampness of the earth. The thin paint allows for the white of the canvas to shine through, creating luminosity. He probably made small adjustments to the composition again and again, wiping away and adding until the painting felt right. It is always a conversation. There are these two figures in the distance, barely there, adding a sense of scale and mystery. Chase was part of a generation of painters who were looking at the world in a new way, influenced by impressionism and a growing interest in capturing the fleeting moments of everyday life. To me, painting is an ongoing exchange of ideas across time, where artists inspire one another’s creativity.