Febuary 1909

Jessie Willcox Smith made "February" with what looks like lithographic crayon or maybe even gouache, it's hard to tell. What grabs me is the colour, that muted palette with the ochres and greens, creating this strangely warm, nostalgic atmosphere. It really speaks to the way we remember things. The surface has this beautiful flatness, a real simplicity of form. The texture is built up in layers, and you can almost feel the grain of the paper coming through, like you're touching the past. I love the way the figures are arranged, with those girls looking up, the line of their gaze drawing us into the scene. Notice that the edges of the forms aren't sharp but have a soft bleed, it's like Smith wasn't trying to capture a photograph, but something more like a feeling. And in this way, the piece reminds me a bit of Milton Avery, the way he reduced forms and used colour to create mood. Art isn't just about what we see but how we see it, isn't it? "February" feels like an invitation to slow down and find joy in the everyday.