La Marina 1929

Georges Valmier made this painting, La Marina, using oil on canvas, and it's fascinating how he builds the scene with such simplified forms and a muted color palette. Look at the surfaces – each area is so flat and distinct, yet they come together to suggest depth and space. I'm drawn to the wavy lines that define the edges; it's such a playful touch that adds a sense of movement. The way Valmier layers these shapes reminds me a bit of collage. You can almost feel him piecing together the composition, like a puzzle. There is a pale, fleshy shape on the left that looks like it might be a person and the geometric shapes suggest the architecture around them. Thinking about artists like Stuart Davis, who also played with abstraction and representation, Valmier invites us to see the world in new ways, breaking down complex scenes into their essential components. It's a reminder that art isn't about recreating reality, but about interpreting and reimagining it.