Orchard at La Louvière 1890

Alfred William Finch made "Orchard at La Louvière" using oil paint applied in a pointillist style. The visible materiality of this painting lies in its meticulous application of countless tiny dots. Each dab of paint is deliberately placed, building up the image through a mosaic-like assembly. It’s not about the grand gesture, but the accumulation of small actions. Consider the time and labor involved in this process; each stroke is a conscious decision, demanding patience and precision. Pointillism was rooted in scientific theories of vision and color, but it also reflected the industrial era’s fascination with systematization. It translated ideas of mechanization from the factory floor into the artist’s studio. The painting isn’t just a representation of an orchard, but a testament to a particular way of seeing and making – one that finds beauty in the systematic application of labor. It invites us to appreciate the value of process in understanding an artwork’s full meaning.