Girls on the Shore 1910

Magnus Enckell made this watercolor, “Girls on the Shore,” sometime between 1870 and 1925. I like the tentative quality of the marks on display here. It’s like he's figuring it out as he goes, you know? The washes of diluted pigment create translucent layers of pale blue, peach, and ochre. The colors softly bleed into one another. Look at the figures. Some of the girls are rendered with a bit more definition, while others are just ghostly suggestions outlined in pencil. Did Enckell labor over this one? I wonder if it was just a fleeting moment captured quickly, like a memory. The brushstrokes are so economical and fleeting. With only a few dabs, Enckell manages to evoke the gentle rhythm of the waves and the stillness of the sky. I see parallels to the pared-down figuration of Vilhelm Hammershøi. Both artists share an interest in capturing quiet, contemplative moments using a muted color palette and a simplified approach. This invites us to slow down and consider what it might have been like to stand there alongside Enckell, watching the girls at the water's edge.