Artists Sketching 1916

Charles Demuth, in "Artists Sketching," probably used watercolor to capture a scene with figures loosely defined by washes of color. It's a bit like watching a memory surface. I can imagine Demuth, brush in hand, trying to find the balance between representation and abstraction. I bet he was thinking about how to convey the essence of a moment with the least amount of information. Look at how the figures emerge from the background through these delicate, almost tentative strokes. You can almost feel the brush dancing across the paper. That blue figure! It’s a central anchor and your eye returns to it. It reminds me of other painters interested in capturing fleeting moments. I think all artists are in a continuous dialogue across generations and geographies, each contributing to the evolution of art. Painting is a conversation through gestures, colors, and forms.