Springtime at the Sea 1911

Matej Sternen made this painting, Springtime at the Sea, with what looks like a flurry of brushstrokes and a sunny palette of yellows, whites, and blues. I can almost feel him standing there, squinting in the Mediterranean light, trying to wrangle the scene onto the canvas. The paint looks thinly applied, giving it a light, airy feel. I imagine he’s juggling the desire to capture what’s in front of him with the joy of just slinging paint around. What I mean is, do you think he was thinking about Cezanne and impressionism while making this? There's a really lovely section in the foreground where he's used these short, choppy strokes to describe the field. It is like Sternen is in conversation with other painters, exchanging ideas across time. Like painting, maybe he’s embracing ambiguity here, allowing multiple interpretations and meanings.