The Love Letter 1902

Eugene de Blaas painted this scene of a young woman holding a letter, with oils that blend so smoothly they seem to dissolve into the very light. Just look at the way she’s sitting on those stone steps, so relaxed, like she’s got all the time in the world to savor whatever that letter says. I wonder what Eugene was thinking about, painting her there? Maybe he was thinking of his own first love? The way the light catches on the yellow scarf around her neck and the soft folds of her skirt – it's like he’s not just painting a picture, but trying to capture a whole mood, a whole feeling. Painters like de Blaas can teach us something about how to pay attention, how to slow down and really see the world around us. What's captured here is the feeling of anticipation, that lovely little moment of excitement. And paintings like this remind us that artists are always talking to each other across time, sharing ways of seeing.