Summer 1890

Editor: This is "Summer," an 1890 painting by Thomas Wilmer Dewing. It feels incredibly dreamy and tranquil; the brushstrokes are so soft. Two women are present, as figures within the green landscape. What draws your eye when you look at this piece? Curator: It’s the haze of memory, isn’t it? That whisper of a summer day almost forgotten. The way Dewing blends those figures into the landscape… it's like they're made of light and air themselves. Does it remind you, perhaps, of half-remembered poetry, a love letter found tucked in a book? It speaks of secrets, and stolen moments. Dewing does that dance between impressionism and something deeply personal so well. Editor: That makes perfect sense. It also reminds me of plays with fairies from the late 19th century... Curator: Ah, yes! It’s that yearning for an escape. Dewing lived in that gilded age where industrialization was beginning, people yearned for this return to nature, to simplicity. I would love to sit near them, imagine what they feel. There is a slight melancholy, wouldn't you say? It feels as if they could simply fade into that hazy background. Editor: There definitely is! As though the beauty is fleeting. I’m left thinking about how artists capture such elusive feelings using color and light. Curator: Absolutely, you've nailed it. Beauty is fragile, isn't it? And art, at its best, can give us just a glimpse. I like to think of Dewing sending us a message to hold those fleeting moments dear.