Elms, East Hampton, New York 1920

Childe Hassam built up this street view of Elms in East Hampton, New York, using short brushstrokes of blues, greens, and browns. The painting is a mosaic of touches, each one representing a different angle of light, and I'm thinking about the way that this technique has been passed down, from impressionism to today. I imagine Hassam, standing there, trying to capture the dappled light filtering through the trees. Did he feel the pressure to innovate, or was he just trying to capture what he saw? Maybe both, it's always both! The paint is applied thickly, and has this tactile quality. I see the way he modeled the forms of the trees with strokes of color, using a loaded brush to create texture and depth. It's almost like he's sculpting with paint! Hassam was part of a generation of artists grappling with similar issues. And like, you see those touches of Monet and Renoir in his work, but he’s also doing his own thing, pushing the boundaries. Ultimately, painting is about exchange, about learning from others, and adding your own voice to the conversation. It's about embracing uncertainty, and allowing for multiple interpretations, which keeps painting alive.