On the Dart 1922

Lucien Pissarro painted 'On the Dart' with oil on canvas, using tiny little brushstrokes to build up a lovely hazy scene. It’s all about the process, you can see how the image emerges bit by bit, a mosaic of color that’s both soft and incredibly precise. Look at the surface, a constellation of small touches, like he’s knitting with paint. The blues and greens of the water and hillside blend into grays and browns, the colors vibrating with a gentle energy. The houses and the boat, tiny little interruptions in the landscape, are built up with the same care as everything else. There's a kind of evenness to it all, a democratic way of seeing. In the upper right-hand corner, note how the marks become more gestural and open, almost dissolving into pure sensation. This reminds me of Cezanne, who was similarly fascinated by how we perceive space and volume through color. Ultimately, the painting invites us to slow down and savor the simple act of seeing.