Landing Stage 1923

Maurice Prendergast made this watercolor, "Landing Stage", sometime in his career. Prendergast was above all a colorist, and watercolor was his ideal medium. The pigment sits on the surface of the paper, allowing light to bounce back, resulting in a luminous effect. He would have used relatively simple tools - brushes and a water container - but mastered the art of layering washes of color. The subject matter is equally important. Prendergast often depicted leisure activities, scenes of middle-class life on vacation. He’s not exactly critical of the scene; he seems happy to evoke the mood, the light, the pure pleasure of a day at the landing stage. Yet it's undeniable that his paintings reflect the realities of a society divided by class and defined by its pursuit of recreation. Looking at the material of this artwork, and the lifestyle it portrays, helps us reflect on the social context of Prendergast’s time, and the complex relationship between art, leisure, and labor.