Reflections (Kitty Hughes) 1917

Childe Hassam made Reflections (Kitty Hughes) with oil paint, at an unknown date. Look at how the brushstrokes are laid down with such freedom and spontaneity. You can almost feel Hassam's hand moving across the canvas, building up the image layer by layer. The colors are soft and muted, like a hazy memory, but it's the texture that really grabs me. The paint is thick in some areas, creating a tactile quality that invites you to reach out and touch it. Now, take a look at the way the light catches on the apples in the foreground. See how Hassam uses quick, broken strokes to capture the shimmering reflections? It's almost as if the apples are glowing from within. To me, that single mark, a flicker of light, is what brings the whole painting to life. Hassam, like his contemporary Monet, embraced ambiguity and impermanence, focusing on the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere.