Over Mantel Picture c. 1939

This Over Mantel Picture was made by John Collins, sometime between 1855 and 1995, using paint. Look at this flat, naive rendering, it's like a dream of a farm! The paint application is thin, almost like a watercolor, which gives the whole piece a slightly faded, ethereal quality. You can almost feel the hand of the artist in the way the details are built up. I love the way he's captured this rural scene. Take the line of trees between the houses and the garden; the simple brushstrokes create a sense of depth, and the way the branches reach out, it's like they're waving at you! Collins reminds me a bit of Grandma Moses, another artist who celebrated the beauty of everyday life in a simple, honest way. And like her work, this piece is a reminder that art doesn't have to be complicated to be powerful. It’s about capturing a feeling, a memory, a way of seeing the world.