Calanque du Mugel à la Ciotat 1907

Othon Friesz painted this landscape, Calanque du Mugel à la Ciotat, with oil on canvas using a somewhat unnaturalistic palette. He lets process guide him, a back and forth between what he sees and how he feels, layering impressionistic brushstrokes to build the composition. Up close, you can see how Friesz used thick, opaque paint. The texture is palpable, almost edible. Look at the way he renders the cliffs, those pastel shades of pink, yellow and blue are laid down with such confidence. It's as though he’s not just depicting the landscape, but really making it, building it, stroke by stroke. This process allows us to see the coastline anew, it is less about representation and more about construction. Friesz's work reminds me of Gauguin, he pushes colour to express emotion, not just to copy nature, and he shows us that a painting can be a world of its own.