Waterfall at Saint Martin Pontoise 1906

Gustave Loiseau captured this snowy scene with oil on canvas. The way he lays down the paint is so direct, you can really see how the image is built up through layers of marks. Look at the surface of the water – see how he’s used these short, choppy strokes, almost like he’s jabbing at the canvas? You can feel the movement, the chill in the air, the way the light bounces off the water. Then compare that to the solid mass of the building, rendered with a flatter, more even application of paint. It gives a sense of weight and permanence in contrast to the fluidity of the water. The whole thing reminds me a little of Camille Pissarro, who shared Loiseau’s interest in everyday scenes. But where Pissarro could be more refined, Loiseau has this beautiful rawness. The image is always reforming itself, like an improvisation. What does it mean to create something with an end goal in mind, or to let something occur through material and process?