The runaway couple. 1937

Jessie Willcox Smith made this painting of children, maybe with oil on canvas, in her home studio. The painting gives the impression of time standing still and not standing still! I wonder what the artist was thinking when she made this painting. It is likely that she was recalling her own childhood. The painting is infused with nostalgia, longing, and perhaps, a touch of melancholy. Notice how Jessie Willcox Smith plays with colour, using it to evoke specific moods and feelings. The subdued tones and soft brushstrokes create a dreamlike atmosphere. See how the textures are built up in layers, giving the painting a tactile quality? This can connect us to the painting on a sensory level. The eye is drawn to the face of the little girl with the hat and the umbrella and we feel her emotions and thoughts as if they were our own. Like all artists, Jessie Willcox Smith was in conversation with other artists who came before and after her. Every time we look at a painting, we are participating in that conversation, adding our own voices to the mix.