Landscape from Saint Tropez 1911

Nicolae Darascu made this painting of Saint Tropez with oils on canvas, a classic combination that had been the standard for centuries by the time he took it up. The material qualities of oil paint – its capacity to be layered, to blend, to capture light and shadow – are all on display here. Look at the way Darascu has used short, broken brushstrokes to build up the forms of the buildings and foliage, giving the scene a shimmering, almost dreamlike quality. You might even say he's captured the feeling of heat radiating off the walls. Although these are traditional fine art materials, Darascu’s technique here is also a product of its time. Mass production of art materials in the 19th century lowered the cost and made it possible for artists to focus more attention on the qualities of light, air and movement. As such, the painting embodies a moment in time – the rise of leisure, of artists travelling to capture a fleeting impression of a place. This wasn't just about recording a scene, but being 'in' that scene, emphasizing the value of the artist's time and experience.