Paysage près de Méréville 1905

Maximilien Luce made this painting, *Paysage près de Méréville*, with oil on canvas using brushstrokes which feel like acts of noticing. Everything, from the sky to the grass, is made up of hundreds of little dabs of colour. Look closely and you’ll see that the painting is not trying to trick you into thinking you are looking at a real landscape. Instead, it’s all about paint. The surface has a wonderful texture, it's almost as if you could reach out and touch the rough bark of the tree or feel the breeze rustling through the tall grass. I keep thinking about how those little strokes of colour build up into something bigger, something that feels like a real place, but also stays true to the fact that it's just paint on canvas. This feels like a conversation with painters like Camille Pissarro, but Luce is doing his own thing, pushing the boundaries of what a landscape painting can be, reminding us that art is always evolving, always questioning.