The Gerber’s Baby, Gerber’s Baby Food Advertising Illustration c. 1930 - 1940

In this oil painting, Haddon Hubbard Sundblom captures a baby bathed in sunlight. It’s all peachy skin, buttery yellows and soft blues. Look at the way the artist laid down the paint, one stroke at a time. The brushstrokes build up the form and give it a sense of volume, but also a kind of softness that's so perfect for capturing baby flesh! You can imagine him, brush in hand, trying to capture this fleeting, perfect moment. What would it be like to paint with such freedom and looseness? Notice the hand reaching up towards the colorful striped curtain. The gesture is so expressive. And how it echoes other paintings of children. It reminds us of a lineage, a conversation amongst painters across time! Artists look at and learn from each other, inspiring new possibilities. And that's what keeps art alive!