Willows by a Stream 1908

Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret painted these Willows by a Stream with oil on canvas, though we can't be sure exactly when. The way the light dances here, it's like he's trying to catch a feeling, not just a scene. It's all in the brushstrokes, loose and free, especially in the trees and the water. Look at how the light is laid on thick with dashes of gold in the trees, making them almost glow against the darker green of the hill behind. There’s something almost magical about the way he blends the colors, right? It's like he's not just painting what he sees but how it feels to be there, by that stream, with the sun warming your face. It reminds me a little of Corot, both of them chasing that fleeting moment of light and atmosphere. But it’s very much its own thing too. It asks you to slow down, to breathe, and to just be.