The All-Important Art of Seeing

Charles Hawthorne championed plein air painting with these words of wisdom.

CHRISTOPHER VOLPE

Charles Hawthorne (1872–1930) founded the popular Cape Cod School of Art in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Famous for his fresh, observational approach to painting, he had his students paint the figure en plein air on the beach — in full summer sun. Hawthorne was one of the first instructors in America to insist that “the art of seeing” should be foremost among foundational tools: “Anything under the sun is beautiful if you have the vision,” he said, “…it is the seeing of the thing that makes it so.” He urged his students, “The ring, the call, the surprise, the shock that you have out-of-doors — be always looking for the unexpected in nature, do not settle to a formula. Get into the habit of doing what you see, not what you know.”…

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Pleinair (Digital) - 1 Issue, December/January 2024-2025

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