Santa Monica, California 1947

This photograph by Walker Evans captures a painting setup right there on Santa Monica beach. I feel like I'm looking over the shoulder of an artist who is working en plein air – or perhaps a child who has set up an art project. I can see that little stool, the box of supplies, the finished artwork on the sand. There’s a real sense of immediacy and intimacy to the scene, as if you've stumbled upon a private moment of creative expression. And you might ask: is this a painting *about* the beach, or *made at* the beach? The black and white tones are so elemental and simple, and there's nothing fussy about the scene. The artist is working intuitively, responding to the environment, just like Joan Mitchell or Helen Frankenthaler might have done, when they poured paint directly onto the canvas. Evans is reminding us that art doesn't have to be precious or self-important. It can be playful, spontaneous, and deeply connected to the world around us.