Apple Butter Making 1947

Here's Grandma Moses' folk-art scene of 'Apple Butter Making', painted with oils on board. It's like a memory unfurling, isn’t it? Look closely, and you'll see each figure, tree, and house is outlined with a crisp, almost naive line. There's a sense of flattening, of compressing space, and a vibrant, folksy color palette, especially that glowing crimson of the apple butter itself. Moses builds up the surface with deliberate strokes, like she's carefully piecing together a quilt from paint. The way she renders the textures is so good, especially those brick patterns on the house! Each brick is there, adding a rhythm to the scene. This relates to the tradition of the Hudson River School, with artists like Thomas Cole also finding inspiration in the region’s landscapes. But Grandma Moses is just Grandma Moses! It’s like she is saying that painting, like making apple butter, is a way of preserving the sweetness of life. It's art as conversation, isn't it?