Rue Terre Neuve, Meudon c. late 1910s - early 1920s

Gwen John painted Rue Terre Neuve, Meudon in oil on canvas, with an incredible lightness of touch. The subdued palette and delicate brushwork give the scene an air of quiet contemplation. It's a painting that really emphasizes the act of seeing and feeling over any kind of rigid representation. Up close, you can see how the texture of the paint creates a soft, almost dreamlike quality. Look at how she renders the figures on the road. They are barely there, just a few strokes of paint, yet they evoke a sense of presence. The way the colors blend and bleed into each other creates a sense of atmosphere, like a hazy memory. The mark-making throughout the piece is really lovely, it's so indicative of how artmaking is about this ongoing process, a relationship with one's materials. John really puts me in mind of Agnes Martin, especially with her use of muted tones and emphasis on subtle variations in color. It reminds us that art is about embracing ambiguity.