Reflections (Arrangement in Pink and Blue) 1901

Joseph DeCamp made this painting called *Reflections (Arrangement in Pink and Blue)* with oil on canvas, though the date is unknown. It’s mostly muted browns with a few areas of brighter colour. I can imagine DeCamp in his studio, squinting at this figure in the mirror, trying to capture the way the light hits her face. You can see the brushstrokes, loose and flowing, especially in the background and the dress. What do you think he was thinking as he made this painting? I feel like he was trying to get a sense of her inner life, her quietness, the colour palette is subdued and gentle, but those touches of pink and blue in the title and in the dress give it a bit of zing. She's not just sitting there, she is reflecting, like a figure in a Vermeer painting perhaps. Painters are always in conversation with one another, like one big studio where we borrow ideas and push each other. We're all just trying to figure out how to make a painting that feels alive, that captures something real, even if it's just a feeling.