The Somme Front 1917

James McBey made this watercolour painting, The Somme Front, sometime in the early 20th century using loose washes of mostly grey and brown. I can imagine McBey outside, on location, squinting in the flat light, trying to capture the bleakness, moving the brush in short, nervous strokes. I feel for him, trying to find some definition in all that mud. What was he thinking as he daubed on those tiny details of broken trees and flooded shell holes? Did he feel helpless? The thinness of watercolour is perfect for expressing this kind of barren scene. It’s so different from the macho energy of thick oil paint, and feels more in keeping with the grim reality of trench warfare. Look how he suggests so much with so little. Artists are always in dialogue with each other, even across generations. It’s about absorbing what others have done and pushing it further. Painting is like a conversation, always evolving and full of possibilities.