This painting, Bright Light at Russell's Corners, dates from 1946. I find it haunting, chilly, and perfectly conceived. I'm there: the tiny crossroads in remote upstate New York, around me the burbling, soughing night, above me the stars, ahead of me the rest of the 20th century.

George Ault (1891-1948) is the artist. He was a painter of the self-destructive school, eventually alienating everyone so thoroughly with his misanthropy and drinking that he was forced into rural exile and financial dependence on his wife. One stormy night in '48 he took a drop too many on board and unwisely decided it would be a good time to have a swim in the raging river nearby. End of story. Fortunately, he left behind one or two near-perfect canvases, including the one above. All the sound and fury of his life matter little now.