‘Twas Long Ago c. 1903

John George Brown created ‘Twas Long Ago’ with oil on canvas, and it feels like he was trying to capture a sense of memory fading into the shadows. I imagine him standing there, brush in hand, trying to get the light just right, maybe thinking about his own grandparents. Look at how the brushstrokes create the woman’s hands, clasped together, each stroke suggesting a wrinkle, a vein, a lifetime of work. The muted color palette is like a veil, softening the edges of reality and hinting at the past. Her gaze drifts off, lost in thought, and you can almost hear the creak of the rocking chair and the rustle of her dress. Brown doesn’t give us all the answers, but he invites us to fill in the gaps, to connect with the quiet dignity of old age, something similar to how James Whistler was trying to do with his mother. It’s a reminder that paintings aren’t just about what we see, but about what we feel and remember.