The Followers 1906

Harrison Fisher made this watercolour, ‘The Followers’, at an unknown date. The painting has this incredible process where the colours are almost translucent, layered one over the other, giving it an ethereal quality. What strikes me is the texture. The paint is so thin, almost like a wash, that you can see the paper beneath. It's as if the image is emerging from the surface rather than being applied to it. Look at how Fisher suggests the details of the dresses with just a few strokes, or the way he uses negative space to define the shape of the figures. There’s one particular mark, the outline of the devil’s face. It is so simple yet so expressive, capturing his mischievous character with just a single line. It reminds me a little of John Singer Sargent's portraits, in that they both have this ability to capture the essence of their subjects with such economy of means. Ultimately, this painting celebrates ambiguity, inviting us to bring our own interpretations to the story it tells.