Cherubs 1915

Maurice Prendergast made this painting called ‘Cherubs’ in watercolor, at an unknown date. Oh, what a dream! It’s as if the artist was dabbing and swirling to find his way through the painting. You can almost feel him going back and forth, adding layers, letting the colors mix on the surface. What was he thinking? I wonder if Prendergast had a story in mind here, or whether he was just trying to get at something more abstract. Look how the blue and green washes create a hazy, dreamlike atmosphere. He uses these translucent strokes, allowing the white of the paper to shine through, giving everything a luminous quality. It reminds me a little of early Marsden Hartley watercolors. Maybe Prendergast knew those. That one gestural stroke of blue – it suggests depth, a pond, light reflecting off the water – all with just one swipe of the brush. You can see how one mark inspires another, one painter inspires another.