Bending Sail on the Old Mill 1920

Childe Hassam made "Bending Sail on the Old Mill" with oil paint, and looking at this painting, you can almost feel the hand of the artist at work! The marks are so present – thick, loaded brushstrokes that build up the form of the mill and the sky. It's like Hassam is right there with you, smearing and dabbing, trying to capture the light. I'm particularly drawn to the upper left corner of the painting, where the cloud is. Here, you can see the way the green paint interacts with the light white. It's almost as if he mixed them on the canvas, creating a sense of depth and movement. Hassam reminds me a little of Monet, with his interest in light and atmosphere, but there's something earthier and more grounded about his work. Ultimately, "Bending Sail" isn't just a picture of a mill; it's a record of a way of seeing and feeling the world.