The Followers 1906

This is Harrison Fisher’s ‘The Followers’ and it’s made with loose brushstrokes and a muted palette, mostly warm peaches and grays, but those pops of bright red really grab you. I can imagine Fisher at his easel, swirling the brush, trying to capture that fleeting moment of drama and allure, like a scene from a play. You see this woman in this elaborate gown, draped in shadow, and then the devilish character pulling at her cloak. And behind her, a chorus line of hooded figures lurking in the background. What's this painting about? The paint is applied thinly, like a watercolor, which gives it that ethereal, dreamlike quality. Look at how the light catches the folds of the woman’s dress, or how the devil’s pointy shoes seem to dance across the surface. I wonder if Fisher was thinking about the French painters like Fragonard, who also loved to depict scenes of romance and intrigue, but with a darker twist. The way the artist creates an open-ended narrative is powerful and reminds us that artists are constantly inspired by one another across time, sparking new ways of seeing and feeling.