Quai De Seine 1924

Lucien Pissarro painted this scene, Quai De Seine, with oil on canvas, and what strikes me immediately is how he's thinking through the process of artmaking. It's as if he's working out something on the canvas, not just trying to capture a scene. You can really get a feel for the physicality of the medium here. Look at the surface, the texture – see how the paint is applied in these small, deliberate strokes? Each dab feels like a conscious decision, building up this atmospheric scene. The colors are muted, soft blues and greens, creating a hazy, dreamlike quality. And there’s this one spot, this clump of green on the lower left, that anchors the whole piece. It's so present, so there, that it makes everything else feel even more ephemeral. Pissarro was always experimenting, taking cues from his father, Camille, but pushing towards his own vision. You can see that interplay between influence and innovation here, a conversation across generations, reminding us that art is never created in a vacuum.