Outskirts of Paris 1905

Albert Marquet captured this scene on paper with watercolor, and a little bit of that inky black drawing. Look at how he handled the water and how the boats sit in it; I can just imagine him out there, trying to get it down quickly, trying to capture something fleeting. I see him looking at Vuillard, maybe, or Whistler – all these artists were trying to get something similar: a kind of quiet, melancholic mood, a feeling of stillness. It’s all about capturing a moment, a feeling, and a place. I wonder what it felt like to be there. To make a painting, to just let the watercolor flow and pool on the page is such a thrill. There's an ongoing exchange of ideas across time, and artists constantly fuel one another’s creativity. Ultimately, it's not about fixing meaning but opening it up.