Autumn 1914

Frederick Carl Frieseke made this painting, Autumn, with oil on canvas. Imagine him, brush in hand, capturing the warmth of sunlight filtering through leaves. He builds up the image with these small touches of color, like he's weaving light and shadow. I can almost feel the texture of the canvas and the thickness of the paint as I look at it. The dappled sunlight is created through these small strokes of blue, green and white and they dance across the surface of the painting, making the whole scene shimmer. Frieseke was deeply influenced by French Impressionism and you can really see this here. The woman reclining is bathed in a soft, glowing light, like a dream. The artist isn’t trying to capture her perfectly, instead he uses these flecks of color to create a sense of atmosphere and mood. I like to think of painters as being in conversation with one another across time. Each one building on the discoveries of those who came before, and pushing the boundaries of what painting can do. Frieseke is no exception, he builds on the work of painters like Renoir and Monet, and makes it his own.