View of the Pond at Charleston 1919

Vanessa Bell made this painting, "View of the Pond at Charleston," with oil on canvas. The palette is warm, like a hazy afternoon, and the brushstrokes are pretty visible, which gives the whole thing a sense of being made, you know? There’s a cool contrast between the stillness of the vase on the windowsill and the landscape stretching out beyond, kind of like the difference between thought and feeling. Look closely at the way Bell uses the paint – it’s not trying to hide itself. The marks are clear, almost like she’s letting us in on her process. The colors are layered and blended, but each stroke still has its own character, especially that dark blue outline on the vase – it has a graphic quality, like a Matisse drawing. Bell feels aligned with painters like Bonnard, who also used the domestic interior as a portal to somewhere else. Ultimately, it is up to us to ask what that might be, so let’s not be afraid to make up our own stories, okay?