Reproductie van een schilderij van rieten huizen bij het strand Onival-sur-Mer door Firmin-Girard before 1901

This reproduction of Firmin-Girard’s painting of thatched houses by the sea, is rendered with delicate lines and tonal variations, creating a sense of depth and texture. For me, artmaking is a process of discovery, and the way an artist engages with their materials can reveal so much about their thinking. Looking at this reproduction, I’m struck by the contrast between the solid forms of the houses and the fluid, almost dissolving quality of the thatched roof. The texture is palpable, built up through layers of marks that suggest the roughness of the material. Notice how the artist uses light and shadow to create a sense of depth, particularly around the doorway. There’s a kind of push and pull between representation and abstraction, as the artist teeters on the edge of making the house disappear altogether into a mass of textures. This reminds me a little of Courbet's seascapes, where the paint itself becomes a kind of stand-in for the materiality of the world. Ultimately, art is about embracing ambiguity, and allowing for multiple interpretations to coexist.