Artists Sketching 1916

Charles Demuth made "Artists Sketching" with watercolor, and it feels like he's inviting us into a private, behind-the-scenes moment. The color palette is muted, almost faded, which gives the scene a dreamlike quality. Demuth’s loose brushwork is so transparent. It reminds me that art making is a process, not just a product. Look at the figure in blue. See how the pigment pools in certain areas, suggesting form without defining it too rigidly. The watery texture makes me think about the fluidity of perception, how things shift and change depending on our perspective. The way the colours bleed into one another suggests that artmaking is less about precision and more about feeling. Demuth’s work reminds me of the paintings of Manet, in the way he captures the fleeting moments of everyday life, embracing ambiguity over perfect representation.