The Donkey Driver 1923

Maurice Prendergast made this watercolor, "The Donkey Driver," at some point in his career - it’s a party scene at the beach! Look at how Prendergast is laying down these juicy strokes of color - a dab of blue there, a splotch of orange here. There’s an improvisational feel, like he’s playing with color and form, seeing what happens. It’s as though he’s thinking about painting as a kind of performance or dance. I love how the surface is built up through these transparent layers, creating a shimmering effect. The way the light bounces off these varied marks makes it feel like a living, breathing thing. Check out how the dabs of color on the beach create a feeling of texture and depth. You can almost feel the grit of the sand between your toes. There's something Fauvist about his approach, almost like he's channeling Matisse, with that raw energy and freedom of expression. For Prendergast, and for me too, art is all about embracing the unexpected and finding beauty in the imperfect.