Landscape In Asquin-sous-Vézelay 1940

Maximilien Luce created this landscape painting in Asquin-sous-Vézelay using oil paint on canvas. Oil paint, though traditionally associated with fine art, comes from humble origins. Pigments are ground and mixed with linseed oil, a product of the flax plant that has sustained artisans for centuries. The textured brushstrokes speak volumes about the artist's labor. Each dab and stroke is a physical action, applying the material to build up the image. Notice the subtle variations in color and tone, achieved through layering and blending. This reflects an understanding of the material qualities of oil paint: its viscosity, transparency, and capacity for luminosity. Luce was a prominent Neo-Impressionist painter with anarchist beliefs, deeply invested in social justice and the representation of working-class life. While this landscape seems removed from urban concerns, even here, in the quiet countryside, we find evidence of human presence and labor. The materiality of the painting is inextricably linked to its social and cultural context.