Marine 1924

This marine scene was made by Léon Spilliaert in 1924 with oil on canvas, and it really gets to me. It's like he’s scooped up a load of earth and sky and smeared it around. There’s this real physicality to the paint, these horizontal stripes in the foreground that could be the shore, or maybe the whole thing is a metaphor. Look how he's used muted, earthy tones, a spectrum of browns and greys, like he's trying to capture the essence of a place rather than just painting a picture of it. It reminds me of some of the landscapes by Hammershoi, that same sense of quiet observation, and a moodiness that gets under your skin. Ultimately, this is a painting that reminds us art is not about answers, but about opening up questions.