Annabel Gray 1901 - 1904

Theodora Thayer made this oil on canvas portrait, Annabel Gray, sometime in the late 19th century. Looking at the quick, soft strokes, I can imagine Thayer building up the form gradually, feeling her way through the tones of gray and white. It's like she's sculpting the face and figure from light itself. I wonder what Thayer was thinking as she painted? Maybe she was fascinated by the way light catches on Annabel's hair, or the subtle curve of her jawline. The paint is applied thinly, almost like a wash, which gives the painting a delicate, ethereal quality. See how the brushstrokes around Annabel's dress seem to dissolve into the background? It’s as if Thayer wanted to capture a fleeting moment, a sense of atmosphere. Painters are always in conversation with each other, across time, borrowing and inventing new ways of seeing. Like Thayer, we can embrace uncertainty and ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations and meaning.