Picking Strawberries 1919

Maurice Prendergast's 'Picking Strawberries,' now in a private collection, feels like a daydream captured with watercolors and pencil. I imagine him outdoors, squinting a little, trying to capture the light filtering through the trees and the patterns it makes on the ground. The figures, simplified into shapes and colors, become part of the landscape. I get a sense of joy in the way he dabs those greens, blues, and ochres, letting the colors bleed a little, like a memory fading at the edges. He's not trying to be photographically accurate; instead, he's distilling the scene down to its essence – the warmth of the sun, the pleasure of being outside, the simple act of picking berries. It reminds me a bit of Bonnard and Vuillard, those turn-of-the-century painters who turned everyday life into something magical. It’s like Prendergast is saying, "Hey, look at this! Isn't it beautiful?" and you can’t help but agree with him. Painting becomes a way to share not just what you see, but how you feel.