An Anniversary 1921

Edwin Dickinson made this painting, 'An Anniversary', at an unknown date and with unknown materials. There's a dense atmosphere created through muted, somber colors – mostly dark blues, grays, and blacks. I can imagine Dickinson layering the paint, pushing and pulling the figures from the gloom, and then scraping back to reveal glimpses of the surface underneath. You can feel the weight of history in this painting, like he’s channeling the Old Masters but making it his own. Look at the way Dickinson renders the faces; they're so haunting and evocative. He's capturing the essence of a moment, loaded with emotion and memory. I wonder if the artist felt like they were reaching out and speaking across time? There is a lot of ambiguity that opens the way for different stories and memories. Dickinson would probably have appreciated that, and he would probably have been inspired by so many artists that came before him.