View of the Pond at Charleston 1919

Vanessa Bell made this painting of the pond at Charleston, and just looking at it, you can feel the paint being pushed around, right? I love how the colours—yellow, green, and a splash of blue—suggest a sunny day. The whole thing feels so immediate, like she just set up her easel and went for it. I can imagine Bell standing there, brush in hand, trying to capture not just what she saw, but how it felt to be there. The thickness of the paint in some spots tells me she wasn't afraid to really dig in, to let the texture of the paint itself become part of the picture. Look at that vase sitting on the windowsill. The way it's rendered with those quick, confident strokes. You get the feeling she wasn't trying to be precise, but rather to capture the essence of the thing. It's like she’s saying, “Here I am, here’s what I see, and here’s how I feel about it.” And isn't that what painting is all about, really?