Bridge at Old Lyme 1908

Childe Hassam made this scene of ‘Bridge at Old Lyme’ with oil on canvas, though its date is unknown. The way he’s applied the paint, in these little hatchy marks, makes me think about how art is always a process, a kind of building up. Looking at this piece, you can see how the surface is built up of lots of small marks in a gorgeous range of yellows and blues. The bridge itself feels really solid, almost like it’s been built right out of the paint. I love how the reflections in the water are just as solid and present as the actual bridge. There’s one spot, right where the bridge meets the water, where the colors get all mixed up in this incredible swirl, and that’s the key to the whole painting. For me, Hassam is an American Impressionist, someone who was looking hard at what was happening in Europe but doing it in his own way. I think this piece is part of an ongoing conversation about how we see the world, and how we can make that vision into something physical and real.