Crozant, Le Ravin De La Sedelle À La Folie c. 1910

Armand Guillaumin made this painting of Crozant, Le Ravin De La Sedelle À La Folie with oil on canvas. The way Guillaumin builds up the layers of paint, it's like he’s wrestling with the landscape, trying to capture its wildness and energy. Looking closely, you can see how the colors vibrate against each other. The greens aren’t just green – they're mixed with blues, yellows, and even touches of red, which gives the painting a kind of restless energy. Notice the little dashes of yellow on the grassy bank, they are a bit like a playful wink, a tiny gesture that brings the whole scene to life. It feels like he was really present in that moment, responding to the light and atmosphere with every brushstroke. Guillaumin reminds me a bit of Van Gogh, actually, in the way he uses color and texture to convey emotion. But while Van Gogh's paintings often feel intensely personal and psychological, Guillaumin's are more about the joy and beauty of the natural world. It's a reminder that art can be a conversation, a way of seeing and feeling that evolves over time, with each artist adding their own unique voice to the mix.