The Seine at Port Marly 1902

Gustave Loiseau painted The Seine at Port Marly with oils on canvas, a traditional fine art process. However, Loiseau was less interested in traditional artistic subjects, focusing instead on landscapes, and especially the built environment. Here we see a boathouse on the Seine. The scene is captured with thick brushstrokes, conveying the damp chill of the location. Loiseau’s touch reminds us that painting is itself a kind of labor. But here, that artistic labor directs our attention to other forms of work. The boathouse is the real subject; a site of industry, transport, and recreation. The texture and quality are suggestive of a location outside the bounds of the grand city. Thinking about the artwork in this way helps us to understand the artist’s broader contribution, challenging conventional distinctions between the fine and applied arts.