Bathers, Pas De Calais 1925

Algernon Talmage painted ‘Bathers, Pas De Calais’, probably around the turn of the century, with oils, very directly, onto canvas. You can see the brushstrokes, the speed of the marks, like he was trying to capture a fleeting moment of light and shadow, and the cool breeze coming off the sea. I wonder what it was like for Talmage to be there, painting those bathers? I bet he was trying to get the light just right, the way it flickers through the trees and dances on the sand. And look at the colors, the muted blues and greens, and the sandy yellows. He wasn't trying to be photographic, but expressive, evocative. He was part of a long line of artists who saw painting as a way to explore, to see what could happen when color and form come together. It’s like he’s in conversation with artists like Manet and Whistler, all trying to capture the ephemeral beauty of modern life. That's what painting is all about, right? An ongoing conversation, a way of seeing and feeling the world that's always open to interpretation.