Crepuscule (also known as Along the Shore or Beach) 1920

Maurice Prendergast made this painting, Crepuscule, with oil on canvas. It looks like he dabbed the paint—a mosaic of marks, a bit like Seurat, but more free and expressive. I can imagine him outside, trying to capture a fleeting moment by the shore, the light shifting, the figures almost dissolving into the landscape. I'm wondering what he was thinking about as he worked on this piece. It looks like he was trying to capture a feeling or an atmosphere rather than a literal representation. His dabs and strokes feel intuitive, as if he’s responding to the scene in a very direct, emotional way. There's a really playful energy in how he applies the paint, with the colours vibrating against one another. I see echoes of Impressionism, maybe a little bit of Whistler, but Prendergast has his own unique voice. It's exciting to see how artists build on each other’s ideas, always pushing painting in new directions. For me, painting is about embracing uncertainty. There’s no one "right" way to see or interpret a painting. That's why I love it.