Cagnes-sur-Mer 1927

William H. Johnson made this oil painting of Cagnes-sur-Mer, sometime in the first half of the 20th century, layering loose brushstrokes of warm, earthy tones over cool blues and grays. It’s a process that feels both intuitive and deliberate, like the artist is feeling his way through the landscape. Up close, you can see how the paint is applied in short, staccato marks, creating a textured surface that seems to vibrate with energy. The dark outlines give the composition a sense of structure, but the colors bleed into each other, creating a hazy, dreamlike atmosphere. Notice the way Johnson uses color to create depth, with the cooler blues receding into the distance and the warmer tones popping forward. It reminds me of Marsden Hartley’s landscapes, though Johnson brings his own unique sense of rhythm and color to the genre. Ultimately, it’s a painting that invites you to slow down and savor the beauty of the natural world, while embracing the ambiguity of vision itself.