L'Orage à Ostende 1948

Jean Rene Bazaine painted this painting, “L’Orage à Ostende,” with oil paint to try and capture the weather with colour and shape. There are no soft edges here. It's all about distinct strokes. Up close, you can see how Bazaine layers the paint. It's not thick and gloppy, but thin and washy. Look at the bottom left corner. See how the teal and reds blend, almost like watercolor? You can almost see the canvas texture underneath. And then, bam, there’s this dark blue that sits right on top, anchoring the whole section. Bazaine isn't trying to trick you into seeing a storm. He's showing you how he feels it. I think of Cezanne and his stacks of color. A bit like an ongoing conversation about feeling and form!