Long before people could brighten a photo with the tap of a smartphone, Rembrandt demonstrated the sweep of sun and shadow across a face, Caravaggio the drama of ivory light against inky darkness, and Vermeer the illuminating qualities of a rustic window. It’s easy to imagine any one of these Baroque-era influencers setting up an easel in the downtown Birmingham, Alabama, loft of William Rushton, who at thirty paints like he’s four centuries older.
