Rocks at Appledore 1916

Childe Hassam’s watercolour, Rocks at Appledore, lays down these chunky marks in blues, browns, and yellows. The painting looks like it emerged through a process of dabbing and daubing, where the medium allows for happy accidents. I feel for Hassam here, trying to capture the weight and density of the rocks with such light and flowing material. Look closely, and you’ll see how thin the paint is, almost like the rock surface is breathing. But I also feel the struggle, the way he comes back to the same spot, trying to get it right. The dark blue daubs in the upper right-hand corner really get me going, suggesting that it has weight or depth, even though it is just the most delicate wash of colour. Hassam’s definitely in conversation with artists like Homer and Sargent, pushing the possibilities of what watercolour can do. It’s all about the exchange of ideas over time, sparking each other’s creativity, and that’s how painting keeps moving forward, full of surprises and endless possibilities.