Acorn Street, Boston 1919

Childe Hassam made this view of Acorn Street, Boston, likely using watercolor and pencil. It’s like he's trying to capture a fleeting moment, a quick impression of the scene. Look at the way he renders the brickwork with loose, scribbled lines, how he almost scratches the surface to find the form. I imagine him standing there, feeling the weight of his materials, his hand moving quickly to keep up with the changing light. There is a lone figure standing in the lower left who almost blends into the brickwork, as if they were just another piece of the architecture. There's something very modern about how the figure seems swallowed up by the architecture. Hassam was part of a whole wave of artists exploring similar themes, each bringing their own take to the conversation. What do you think he was trying to say? The best paintings always leave you with more questions than answers, I find.