The Lavender 1912

Eugene de Blaas painted this oil on panel, ‘The Lavender’, sometime in the late 19th, early 20th century. It's hard to resist that moment when an artist captures light, and in this painting, the way the water reflects the sky is just delicious. De Blaas works with such precision, especially in the woman’s face and hands, but then look at that skirt, it’s almost a blur of motion, full of energy, capturing a breeze that you can almost feel. There’s a kind of conversation happening between the woman and the landscape behind her, with those slightly smudged buildings in the background. The artist’s process feels concealed, but you can sense his hand in the smooth, deliberate strokes. This piece feels like a conversation with someone like John Singer Sargent, an exchange of ideas about light, form, and the poetics of everyday life. Ultimately, this painting shows us that art is less about fixed meanings and more about the endless possibilities of seeing and feeling.