July 1912 Woman's Home Companion Magazine Cover 1912

Jessie Willcox Smith made this Woman's Home Companion cover in July 1912, and it’s painting at its most endearing. Smith coaxes out the gentlest gradations of colour. The soft pinks and milky whites feel so comforting, like the first lick of an ice cream cone on a summer’s day. The paint is applied in loose, visible strokes, a testament to the artist's touch and the immediacy of her vision. Look at how the brushstrokes dance across the child's rosy cheeks, blending and swirling to create a soft, almost palpable texture. See, right there, where the fingers rest on the mouth? The slightly blurred effect makes me think of Gerhard Richter. It's like a snapshot, capturing the transient nature of childhood. I feel like this image shares something with Alice Neel’s portraits of children. There’s a similar level of intimacy, where what feels like a momentary glance becomes a lasting impression. This painting reminds us that art doesn't always need to shout; sometimes, it whispers the loudest.