Wash Day 1945

Grandma Moses made this painting, Wash Day, without dating it, using thin layers of oil paint to describe this rural scene. The light colours of the drying laundry contrast with the darker tones of the landscape and the figures, creating a sense of depth and busyness in the composition. Looking at the way she renders these figures, there's a real attention to the shapes that the clothes make. The fabric is solid, with none of the folds and creases we're familiar with in classical portraiture. She's not interested in illusion, but in the shapes and textures of daily life. Look at the whites of the drying laundry, how they resemble abstract blocks of paint floating across the surface of the work. I'm reminded of Milton Avery, who was also interested in this kind of simplification and flattening of form. Both artists teach us to see the world anew, by embracing the beauty and ambiguity of abstract shapes.