Hopeful 1909

Lawrence Alma-Tadema made 'Hopeful' with oil on panel to create a window into another world. The dreamy scene shimmers with light, but it's the girl that holds my attention. What does she seek on the horizon? Maybe she's a painter herself, gazing at the light, capturing it in her mind's eye, and mixing up just the right shade of ultramarine, or maybe she's looking out for a loved one! Her stance feels so human. She shields her eyes in anticipation, and in that simple gesture, the artist captures the universal feeling of yearning, the human need for hope. It reminds me of Fairfield Porter and his paintings of his family on the coast of Maine, and what a joy it is to see his beautiful, everyday scenes. Painting, like friendship, is a form of conversation across time, and I love how Alma-Tadema shows us that painting embraces ambiguity, and that allows for multiple interpretations, depending on who is looking and what they are hoping for.