Blonde Woman c. 1940s

Reginald Marsh made this watercolor on paper of a blonde woman, maybe sometime in the first half of the twentieth century. Look at the lightness of touch, the swift strokes that capture her figure. I imagine Marsh, rapidly sketching, trying to nail her down on paper before she disappears. There’s a casualness here, a sense of capturing a fleeting moment. The thin washes of paint create a sense of airiness, giving the figure a light, almost ephemeral quality. I'm thinking about Degas and his dancers, capturing movement and form in a similarly quick and informal way. This gesture, the woman’s hand touching her hair, it suggests both poise and vulnerability. It’s like he’s in conversation with all these artists who were equally fascinated by the human form, trying to understand what it means to be alive and in motion. Painting is all about that endless conversation, isn't it?