June Sunlight 1902

Joseph DeCamp made this painting of a woman and child, probably in oil paint, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. Look at the way the light sort of shimmers. It's not just a picture of a scene, it’s more about capturing a particular feeling, a process of seeing and responding. I find myself drawn to the lower part of the mother's dress. See how DeCamp uses these soft, blurry strokes? It’s like he’s almost dissolving the fabric into the light itself. The colors there aren’t just white; there are blues, and grays, all mixed together in a way that makes it feel like the sun is bouncing off the material. It reminds me that painting isn’t just about copying what you see, but about feeling it, translating it, turning it into something new. This hazy light makes me think a bit of Whistler’s work. Both artists are interested in evoking a mood. It's this exchange of ideas, across time, that makes art such an ongoing conversation.