Low Tide at Douarnenez 1908

Maxime Maufra made this painting of Low Tide at Douarnenez with oil on canvas, and it looks like it was a breezy day by the sea. Looking at those brushstrokes, loose and free, it’s like he's capturing a feeling more than a picture. I mean, check out the sky. It's a mass of cloudy grays and whites, applied with such energy that you can almost feel the wind. And then there's the beach itself. See how he uses these sandy yellows and browns? It’s as though he's sifting the colours across the surface, not worrying too much about getting it perfect, but trusting in the process. And the rocks, those dark, chunky rocks in the foreground. They're not just rocks, they're solid anchors for all that airy lightness above. What I love is that he allows the paint to be itself, thick in some places, thin in others. The materiality of the paint is as important as the image. He reminds me of Courbet, or maybe Boudin. You know, those painters who were more interested in the real, messy world than some ideal version. Anyway, it’s a conversation, right? Each artist building on the last.