Corn Shocks and Jump Mountain 1950

Pierre Daura made this watercolor, 'Corn Shocks and Jump Mountain,' using a range of washes and brisk strokes. It looks like he was working en plein air, capturing a specific moment in time. He was working from direct observation, and recording a landscape that bears the traces of human labor: those shocks of corn in the foreground are the result of agricultural practice, and the house and fence in the middle distance speak to habitation. Look closely, and you can see the individual stalks of corn; Daura is not just giving us a general impression, but also attending to the specific textures and patterns that make up the scene. The wispy clouds overhead are created with a very different touch, broader and more fluid. Daura uses the inherent properties of watercolor to evoke the scene's atmosphere, creating a tension between the natural world and the cultivated landscape. By bringing our attention to these materials and techniques, we recognize the value in all forms of making, whether farming or painting.