North Shore 3, Massachusetts 1910

Maurice Prendergast made this watercolor, North Shore 3, Massachusetts, with light washes and a playful energy. I can almost feel him dabbing at the paper, letting the pigment bloom, creating these buoyant, blobby figures in the landscape. The painting feels like a snapshot of a summer day, or a scene from a dream. It reminds me of making plein air sketches: the quick, light touches, the focus on capturing the overall feeling of the place rather than precise details. The way the figures are placed so carefully on the page, gives the painting a sense of intentionality and a gentle humor. Looking at it now, I think of other watercolorists like John Marin, who shared Prendergast’s love of the American landscape and his experimental approach to the medium. There’s something so optimistic and enduring about this type of painting, this constant conversation between artists who find new ways to see and express the world around them.