Portrait of a Young Girl 1913

Maurice Prendergast painted this dreamy portrait of a girl, we don't know when, with oil on a small canvas. Look at the way he’s built up that surface with all those little dabs of color, creating a mosaic effect. I imagine Prendergast squinting at his subject, really trying to capture the light as it hits her face and clothes. The painting is built from touch, from the feel of the brush in his hand as he laid down each stroke. You can see how the colors mix optically, suggesting the textures and patterns of her dress and the red ribbon in her hair. I bet he was inspired by the Impressionists, those painters who loved to capture fleeting moments of light and color. But Prendergast brings his own unique sensibility to the work, a kind of gentle warmth and intimacy. He makes me think about Pierre Bonnard, whose paintings feel like looking at life through a hazy, sun-drenched window. There’s a dialogue between artists that transcends time. Each one building on what came before.