On the Bank 1914

Frederick Carl Frieseke made 'On the Bank', in an unknown year, using oil paint. It’s a party of little brushstrokes, little dabs of colour, all buzzing around doing their own thing, but somehow, magically, they add up to a scene. I really love how the material qualities of the paint are so evident; you can almost feel the texture on the canvas. And the colours, they're not mixed on a palette, but layered optically. Look at the way the blues and yellows combine to make the leaves, that vibrate with life. I think I can see a little Vuillard sneaking in here. Check out that parasol! Each stripe is made up of individual touches of colour, not a smooth, flat plane. They build up to create a sense of volume and light. This piece just reminds us that painting is a process, it's about letting the materials and the gestures guide you. Like the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, Frieseke shows us that art is a conversation, a constant pushing and pulling of ideas.