The Beach at Trouville c. 1870s

Henri Gervex made this painting, ‘The Beach at Trouville,’ with oil paint on canvas. These are very traditional materials, of course, but consider the way Gervex has handled them. Look closely, and you can see how the surface has been built up with a layering of brushstrokes, capturing the heavy clouds, cold water, and wet sand. The paint is thick in some areas and thinned in others, giving the surface a lively, almost breathing quality. There's also a clear contrast between the industrial production of paint and canvas, versus the handmade strokes that make up the image. This tension is important because, at the time, paintings of leisure and the bourgeoisie were becoming commonplace. 'En plein air' or 'outdoor' painting was made possible by paint being produced and sold in tubes, which facilitated the mobility of the artist. In this context, Gervex's brushwork can be seen as an attempt to reclaim a sense of individual artistry in the face of mass production. It reminds us that the materials and the making are crucial to understanding the scene that’s depicted.