The Inlet 1913

Maurice Prendergast daubed this canvas with oil paints to make 'The Inlet', although we don't know exactly when. Look at that buzz of colour! The paint is laid on thickly, almost like frosting. I imagine Prendergast working en plein air, trying to capture the fleeting light on the water and the energy of the figures on the beach. How to convey so much movement with static paint? He uses these quick, broken brushstrokes, kind of like confetti, to suggest the dappled light and the bustling crowd. The figures are simplified, almost abstracted, yet they still convey a sense of individuality. Like the way he dabs colour, so you can see a figure with a red umbrella. It feels like he's embracing the joy of painting, and maybe inviting us to do the same, to find beauty in the everyday. Prendergast was an innovator, drawing inspiration from artists like Cezanne and the Post-Impressionists, but he brought his own unique vision to the canvas. In the act of painting, there's always a conversation happening between artists, across time and space.