The Shore 1915

Maurice Prendergast made this little painting, The Shore, with oil on canvas, and it is like a fleeting memory. The overall effect is like a dream, all ochre and hints of blue, with bold, dark outlines defining shapes of people, horses, and boats. You can almost feel the brush dancing across the canvas. Did he paint this outdoors, trying to capture the scene quickly? I imagine Prendergast, squinting in the sun, quickly laying down these marks, trying to catch the feeling of the place more than the exact details. Those dark outlines give the painting a wonderful graphic quality, making it feel both modern and timeless. It reminds me of other painters, like Bonnard, who were also trying to capture these passing moments. Each artist engages in a conversation across time and space, picking up on each other's ideas. Paintings like this remind us that art is never really finished; it’s always changing in our minds.