Trees 1927

Grace Cossington Smith made this painting, Trees, with what looks like oil paint, using a tapestry of small marks to build up this gorgeous scene. It reminds me that painting is a kind of building, a construction of looking. Up close, you can see how each stroke is laid carefully, a mosaic of greens, blues, and purples. They're not blended, but exist side by side, creating a shimmering effect. It is as though each brushstroke is a thought. Take, for example, the lower left corner of the painting; the artist uses horizontal dashes of paint to signify the cut grass. It is not photorealistic. But those lines of colour evoke the feeling of being there, of seeing the light hitting the manicured lawn. In some ways, it makes me think of Bonnard; a similar intimacy and domesticity, but with an unmistakably Australian light. Ultimately, I think that art thrives on this kind of dialogue, where artists borrow, adapt, and transform ideas across time and place.