The Stall 1959

Andrew Wyeth made this watercolor painting, The Stall, sometime in the mid-20th century and the colours are muted, like browns, greys, and creams. I bet Wyeth was looking for something simple and unadorned, a moment of quiet observation. I mean, think about it: What was he thinking as he layered those washes of color, letting them bleed and mingle on the page? I imagine him stepping back, squinting, then leaning in close again to add a delicate line of white, suggesting the sun streaming through a crack in the wall. It’s almost like he’s trying to capture not just the look of the stall but the very feeling of being inside it. The streaks of paint at the top make me think of hay. I wonder if Wyeth saw something in that humble space, a kind of beauty in the ordinary? I can imagine him discovering this place on a walk, and something about the light stopped him in his tracks.