A Greater Morning c. 1900 - 1905

Arthur Bowen Davies made this painting, "A Greater Morning", likely using oil paints. I see ochre and browns gently pulled and pushed around. The paint is laid down in such a way that it captures the quiet stillness before the sunrise, but I can see the brushstrokes and imagine Davies trying to catch the light. I wonder if he mixed his colours directly on the canvas itself, blurring the boundaries between objects and light? The figures in the foreground and background blend. I’m thinking, maybe Davies wanted to tell us that we're all connected. Like the Impressionists and Symbolists, maybe he felt that it was important to capture a feeling, an emotion, a mood. Maybe, through art, Davies was searching for something real, a feeling, and perhaps even hoping to discover something new about himself and the world around him. It makes you wonder, doesn't it? About life, the universe, and painting.