Summer 1931

Cuno Amiet made this painting, Summer, with oil on canvas, and it feels like a really direct response to the landscape. The textures are chunky, built up with thick impasto, like you could reach out and touch every leaf. The paint is opaque, with these staccato marks – quick jabs of colour that suggest the heat and light of a summer's day. Look at the way Amiet builds up the foliage with these individual strokes. Each dab of green, yellow, and blue seems to vibrate with life. It's like he’s trying to capture not just what he sees, but also how it feels to be there, basking in the warmth. The palette is bright and vibrant and reminds me a bit of Van Gogh. I see both of these artists as a conduit for the intense experience of being present in the world. Rather than a definitive statement, this painting feels more like an invitation to linger, to observe, and to find joy in the fleeting beauty of a summer's day.