A Holiday c. 1915

Edward Henry Potthast made A Holiday using oil on canvas. The way the light bounces off the water and the children’s clothing gives the impression that he made this piece on a sunny day. Potthast’s broken brushwork feels like an attempt to capture the fleeting qualities of light and atmosphere. Look at the way he applied the paint—the quick, loose strokes that make up the reflections in the water; the thickness of the paint he used to render the frothy waves. And then observe the smoothness of the surface, which keeps the whole scene from feeling too heavy or overworked. My eye keeps getting drawn back to the children splashing in the shallows, their figures echoed and distorted by the reflections in the water. This doubling effect emphasizes the process of perception itself, inviting us to question how we make sense of the world around us. Painters like Berthe Morisot come to mind, who were also interested in the effects of light and color in everyday scenes. Ultimately, art is about exploration, not answers.