Country Road, New Hampshire 1913

Maurice Prendergast's 'Country Road, New Hampshire' is a small watercolor, probably made en plein air. I imagine him outside, trying to capture this scene quickly as the light was changing. There is a real sense of immediacy in his strokes; dabs and dashes of color that pull the scene together, almost like notes in a musical score. The blues dominate, but there are rich, warm yellows and oranges too, giving the feeling of an autumnal landscape. The road itself is a sinuous, beige ribbon that leads the eye into the scene. You get a feeling that the architecture is almost 'swallowed up' by nature. Prendergast was a master of color and gesture, and he knew how to evoke a sense of place with just a few simple marks. He had a unique vision, a way of seeing the world that reminds me of Bonnard. Artists like them show us how painting can be a way of thinking, feeling, and experiencing the world in all its complexity and wonder.