The Trio, Tokyo, Japan 1901

Lilla Cabot Perry made "The Trio, Tokyo, Japan" with oil on canvas. Imagine the scene: three musicians bathed in the muted light of a Tokyo room, instruments poised, ready to strike a chord. I bet Perry, an American painter finding her way in Japan, felt like an outsider, but was completely drawn into the delicate beauty of this moment. Look at the subtle washes of color! A kind of quiet vibrancy that hums just beneath the surface. It's not about big, dramatic gestures. The women are dressed in long skirts, each a symphony in fabric and form. I wonder, did Perry aim for a perfect representation? Nah. Painting for me is about finding feeling. I imagine Perry put brush to canvas over and over again, trying to capture this fleeting harmony, not to tell the full story, but to show the light through a feeling.