Resting in the Field 1901

Edouard Debat-Ponsan made this painting, Resting in the Field, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century, we're not sure exactly when. He used oils, of course, and you can tell he really loved the process of layering them to get the light just right. Look how the colors blend so smoothly; it feels like a hazy summer day. The textures in the grass and the flowers are so delicately rendered. The artist wasn't interested in concealing the handmade nature of this painting, it's right there on the canvas. It’s not trying to be slick or photographic, but embraces a painterly looseness. Check out the way the light hits the resting figure’s dress. Debat-Ponsan's contemporary Jean Béraud did many similar outdoor scenes of leisure. Both artists embrace ambiguity, preferring to show us life as they see it, not as they understand it. Both leave lots of room for our own interpretations.