Sketch for 'Cemetery, south of France' 1920

This is Rupert Bunny’s sketch for ‘Cemetery, south of France’, and it's a great example of how paintings aren't just pictures, but processes. Bunny’s mark making feels loose, full of short broken strokes that imply more than they define. Looking closely, you can see how the physical qualities of the paint - its buttery thickness, its opacity - work to create a luminous surface. The colors feel muted, almost bleached by the sun, heightening that feeling of a particular time and place. See that little patch of bright green under the tree on the left? It's like a tiny spark of life, a little jolt of energy in an otherwise calm scene. It reminds me of how Morisot would use those flashes of bright colour in her paintings. Bunny's work is part of a long conversation in painting, where each artist builds on what came before, twisting and turning it into something new. And just like a conversation, there's always room for more than one interpretation, right?