L’Inondation à Longchamp 1912

Maximilien Luce made this painting, L’Inondation à Longchamp, with oil on canvas, and you can see how he’s put down these marks in such a simple, expressive way. For me, that’s what painting is all about: a conversation between eye, hand, and material. Looking at the painting, there is an ochre flatness, like the floodwater reflecting an overcast sky. And that big tree on the left, with all those dark green needles, feels so solid and heavy compared to the figures out for a stroll. The paint is applied in layers, with these broken strokes. See how the distant buildings and trees sort of dissolve in the haze? It makes me think of Constable, especially in the way Luce captures the light and atmosphere. But with a more modern sensibility, of course. There’s something so tender and melancholy about this piece. It's not just a picture of a flood, it’s a meditation on light, and how we, as humans, experience the world around us.