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

This reproduction of a painting of thatched houses by the beach at Onival-sur-Mer, has been printed anonymously in a book. Imagine the original artist, Firmin-Girard, standing on the beach, squinting in the bright sunlight, trying to capture the way the light hits the thatch. I like how the monochrome reproduction captures the textural contrasts. You can almost feel the roughness of the thatch against the smooth, sun-baked walls. And that detail of the figures resting in the shade, the way they seem to melt into the ground… it's an observation of everyday life. I bet Firmin-Girard was trying to do something similar to Millet or Courbet. This image shares the same interest in depicting rural life, but with a softer, more sentimental touch, it offers a glimpse into the life of a beachside community. Painting is like being in a constant conversation with other artists, each of us trying to capture something unique about the world.