Joseph Lawson Water Mill Fog Many artists attempt to provoke emotions and interest through there artwork; however, not all truly succeed. Though one artist that skillfully rouses sentiment and curiosity is Jane Wilson (b. 1924). One of her most famous paintings, Water Mill Fog (1966), has an intriguing sense of mystery behind it. It is an oil painting on canvas that is 60 X 74- 1/2″. The title, Water Mill Fog, directly depicts the scene of the painting.
In 1960, Jane and her husband moved to Water Mill, NY, where she was inspired by the beautiful landscape. She had a deep understanding of fog, which is revealed in her quote, ‘lee always looked forward as much to the fog of Water Mill as to the clear weather. The fog. Like darkness, makes familiar places unfamiliar in ways that never seem to repeat. ” This gives a new depth to the title; showing her intent to infuse the piece with the sense of unfamiliarity, and mystery, The painting was made on a large scale, heightening the viewer’s sense of engagement.
As someone stands in front of the painting, then they will be surrounded by a fog and the mystery of what it hides. Even the paintings lack tot frame gives the sense of vastness and openness, as if the fog extended beyond the painting. The tog helps organize the composition in a static and restful manner, Jane painted Water Mill Fog in a very impressionistic style.
She focused on how the scene was perceived rather than the full reality of the scene, The techniques that Wilson used with oil paint veer very effective in making the atmospheric fog and giving the sense of an unveiled mystery The brush strokes are loose, large, and blotchy, making everything appear wispy, tactile, and soft The paint appears to be blend into canvas in many areas, making the objects of the composition soft and subtle. Most objects in the scene are composed of minimal brush strokes, Which takes away detail and gives the impression Of a fog’s diffused blur.
However, this composition has much more than just a fog over landscape. The painting has a large building in the background with a dirt road and trees in front of it. A car drives on the road with its’ lights on, bringing illumination and warmth to parts of the composition. All figures are blurred by the fog, and some of them even require stepping back to see. There is a heavy use of highlights on house gable and fascia that help the house from being blurred out entirely from the fog.
The trees of the composition appear as light, vague, and plastic. The fog softens their texture by revealing only parts of the trees. The colors used in the painting help create the illusion tog. Only neutral colors were used and the hues vary only slightly to give the effect that objects blend into each other. The overall color tot the composition is a cool gray/tot white, giving the impression that both the color and shapes are altered by the fog. The overall experience with this painting is pleasant.
The fog blends the soft colors in a way that gives the sense of stillness and airiness. Prom the quote mentioned above, it could be assumed that Jane Wilson wanted the viewer to both ponder and experience the unfamiliar _ The fog acts as a veil that covers the full reality of the scene. It leaves a great part of the composition unknown and invites the imagination to fill in the gaps. It captures the viewers by bringing then to a State Of interest, and then releases them with a sense of stillness.
