Holiday, Headlands 1905

Maurice Prendergast made this watercolour, Holiday, Headlands, with washes of colour, and loose brushstrokes, giving the impression of a fleeting moment. The texture is really interesting; the thinness of the paint allows the paper to show through, creating a sense of light and airiness. The dark blacks of the rocks in contrast with the blues and whites of the sea are really evocative. You can almost feel the spray of the waves. I keep getting drawn to the lower right corner, the way the figures are clustered there, their forms dissolving into the landscape. There’s a beautiful tension between representation and abstraction; the people could almost be part of the rocks, or maybe they are just enjoying a moment of leisure. Prendergast reminds me of Bonnard, with his sensitivity to light and colour. Both artists used loose, impressionistic brushwork to capture a feeling or a mood, rather than focusing on the precise details of the scene.