Evalina Cortland Palmer 1911

Alice Pike Barney made this portrait of Evalina Cortland Palmer with pastels, and it’s the kind of work that makes you want to reach out and touch it. It’s all about the surface, you know? Look at how Barney builds up the color in layers, especially in Evalina’s hair. There’s this fiery, almost metallic sheen, like the hair is lit from within. You can almost feel the soft, powdery texture of the pastels, and see the individual strokes that Barney used to create this luminous effect. The whole thing has this dreamlike quality, like you’re looking at a memory or a half-forgotten dream. I'm thinking, did Barney ever look at Degas's pastels? There’s something in the way she captures light and movement that feels connected. It's as if she's speaking the same language, a language of suggestion and fleeting beauty. And isn't that what art is all about, an ongoing conversation across time and space?