Hill of the Sun, San Anselmo, California 1914

Childe Hassam painted this sun-drenched hill in San Anselmo, California, with oil on canvas. It’s like, imagine standing there, trying to capture that golden light! You can almost feel the sun baking the hills. I wonder what Hassam was thinking about, setting up his easel in that landscape? There's something about the way he built up the surface with short, deliberate strokes of paint, like he’s sculpting the land. The light feels like a solid, tangible thing. Notice the way the strokes of blue in the shadows contrast with the ochre, the earthiness of the hills. It’s like Hassam’s saying, “Hey, look at this specific place, right now.” And in doing so, he shows us how painting can be a way of seeing, a way of feeling, a way of being in the world. It makes me wanna grab my brushes and get outside!