The Bay of in Concarneau 1911

Maxime Maufra made "The Bay of in Concarneau" in 1911, and it looks like he was working with pastel and charcoal. I love how immediate it feels! There’s this quality of gesture, like he’s drawing with color. See how the blue-ish hues are applied so freely, so lightly, to the tree on the left? It's like he’s not precious about the “right” color, but instead letting the mark suggest form and light. Then there’s the way the landscape kind of dissolves into the sky, the charcoal creating a sense of depth. For me, this piece connects to work by Eugène Boudin, especially in how Maufra captures the atmosphere of the coast of France. Both Boudin and Maufra were interested in capturing the fleeting effects of light and weather, and the way those things change our perception of place.