So Diamond sat down again and took the baby in his lap 1919

Jessie Willcox Smith created this illustration—its exact date unknown—with soft colors and gentle forms, probably using oils or gouache. Can't you just feel the tenderness? Look at how Smith captures a sweet moment between siblings. I can imagine her watching these children. Maybe she was in a hurry, trying to capture the scene quickly, knowing that it could disappear at any moment. The artist’s delicate strokes and washes remind me of the Impressionists, and their way of capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere. But Smith brings her own flavor, creating a cozy, domestic world, with its themes of childhood, family, and home. Artists are always riffing off each other, across time and space. We make something, and then another artist sees it and makes something else. It’s this exchange that keeps art alive, a constant conversation where there are no wrong answers, only different ways of seeing and feeling.