Shady Lane, Cassis 1887

Curator: Dodge Macknight painted this watercolor, "Shady Lane, Cassis." It’s a small work, about 9 by 9 and a half inches, now residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels utterly dreamlike, doesn't it? All soft edges and faded light. I want to just melt into that lane. Curator: Macknight lived a fascinating life, choosing to embrace watercolor when it wasn't taken seriously. He was a staunch independent who exhibited alongside the Fauves. Editor: I love the way the colors blend, almost like a memory. It’s less about the specific location and more about a feeling of tranquility and escape. Curator: Absolutely. And I think his commitment to watercolor allowed him to capture that fleeting, impressionistic quality so effectively. Editor: It does make you wonder what he saw in this place, and what made him want to record it with such delicate brushwork. Curator: Perhaps it was that very sense of escape, a respite from the world, that he wanted to share. Editor: It certainly works, even now. I feel calmer just having spent a minute with it.