Côte d'Opale dunes au soleil couchant 1986

Maurice Boitel captured the Opal Coast dunes at sunset with oil on canvas. Look at the brushwork; you can feel Boitel’s hand moving, pushing the paint around to build up these sandy mounds, with just dabs and strokes. He’s using warm hues, terracotta, burnt sienna, and gold to make this little world on the canvas. I can imagine Boitel standing on the sand, squinting in the fading light, trying to catch the glint of the sun on the water. The paint is applied in layers, thick in some spots, thin in others, giving it this fantastic, tactile quality. See how the brush dances, suggesting movement and life in the grasses. The overall effect is about capturing a fleeting moment. Boitel was no doubt part of a long conversation among landscape painters, each building on what came before, adding their own voice and vision. And I guess that’s the beauty of painting, right? It’s not about nailing down one ‘true’ view, but more about embracing all the possibilities.