Along the shore (January 1939) 1939

Romualdo Locatelli created this oil on canvas, Along the shore, in January 1939. I can imagine the painting emerging stroke by stroke, a constant push and pull between intention and accident. There's something really physical about this work. The paint is applied with these visible, almost sculptural strokes. Look at the way he’s rendered the figure on the boat, it's gestural, more felt than seen. The painting throbs, it's got that nervous energy you get when you’re trying to capture something fleeting. Was he thinking about capturing a moment in time, or something more universal? The way the forms melt and merge reminds me of Turner, but also hints at the expressionistic brushwork of someone like Soutine. Ultimately though, Locatelli is doing his own thing here. He's part of this big conversation that painters have been having for centuries, each one building on what came before, but also adding their own unique voice.