Bathing beach 

Charles Demuth made this watercolor painting, Bathing Beach, with fluid strokes on paper. Watercolor as a medium lends itself to impressions and spontaneity; the artist has deftly captured a fleeting moment of leisure. Notice the transparent washes of color that define the figures and the surroundings. The thinness of the paint allows the white of the paper to shine through, creating a luminous effect, like sunlight on water. Demuth's application of color is economical, using just enough to suggest form and movement. The gestural quality of the brushstrokes conveys the energy of a summer's day at the beach. While seemingly effortless, watercolor demands control and foresight. Each stroke is deliberate, and corrections are difficult to make. The artist coaxes the watery medium to depict a scene of everyday life, reflecting a broader social context of leisure and recreation, and elevates an ordinary scene into the realm of fine art. This watercolor's value lies in its deceptive simplicity, which challenges traditional hierarchies between skill and subject matter.