Sunny Day at the Beach 

Maurice Prendergast created "Sunny Day at the Beach" using a mosaic-like technique with pastel that gives the impression of both a lively scene and a carefully constructed design. The pastel medium allows for a brilliant yet soft rendering of the beach and sky. The composition is structured around a series of standing figures interspersed with colorfully dotted parasols. Prendergast breaks down the scene into discrete touches of color, a technique reminiscent of pointillism, but with a more informal, spontaneous feel. The effect is a flattening of space, where figures and background merge, creating a unified decorative surface. The formal qualities are prioritized over naturalistic representation. This approach challenges traditional perspective, emphasizing the painting's surface rather than illusionistic depth. Prendergast destabilizes the conventional relationship between figure and ground, inviting viewers to engage with the painting as an arrangement of chromatic shapes.