Back of the Old House 1916

Childe Hassam made Back of the Old House with watercolor, and looking at it I can feel the medium guiding his hand. I like the light touch, the swiftness. I imagine Hassam wanted to capture the feeling of a place in a fleeting moment. The way light hits the old clapboard, and the way nature reclaims it. Hassam is looking at a motif here, the old house. The white of the paper shines through the watercolor washes, giving it that luminous quality, but it's also so controlled and delicate, it’s as if it has already been effaced. For me, it’s like a dream, an attempt to recall a memory. The touches of green and blue suggest the encroachment of nature. It reminds me that painting is about seeing, but also about the painter's memory, conjuring a moment. I’m sure Hassam would agree!