Harlem River Winter Scene 1910

Ernest Lawson made this painting of the Harlem River probably en plein air in the early 20th century with thick, crusty paint. I can imagine him standing there in the cold, squinting, trying to capture the hazy light on the snow. You can almost feel the chill in the air, right? It's like he’s wrestling with the scene, laying down these chunky strokes of white, green, and grey. The paint is so thick it's like he's building up a little world right there on the canvas. The bare trees and ramshackle buildings feel so immediate and real. It’s funny to think about how all painters are kind of in conversation with each other, even across time. Lawson was definitely looking at the Impressionists, but he was doing his own thing, putting his own spin on it, embracing the mess and uncertainty of the moment. It’s like he's saying, "Yeah, it's cold and grey, but there's also beauty here, if you take the time to really look."