Avenue of the Allies; Brazil, Belgium 1918

Childe Hassam made "Avenue of the Allies; Brazil, Belgium" with oil paint, I imagine, though I don't know when exactly. What's striking is how the flags are made with these short, choppy brushstrokes that feel almost like scribbles. It's as if the painting is less about perfect representation and more about capturing a fleeting, joyful moment. The paint is applied pretty thickly, so you can really see each stroke. There's something about the way the colors blend and vibrate against each other that makes the whole scene feel alive. Look at the way he paints the crowds in the distance – just dabs of color, but they create such a sense of bustling energy. The Brazilian flag, with its burst of green and yellow, really pops. Hassam made many paintings of flags, and you could say he painted the same painting many times; always different, of course. I am always interested in the relationship between painting and drawing and I think he must have been too. Painting as a conversation, always changing, with no one way to say anything.