The Oise at Vadencourt 1912

Auguste Herbin made this painting, The Oise at Vadencourt, using oil paint, a material that reflects its own history. The way that the oil is thickly applied in some areas, and thinly in others, tells us that Herbin built this painting up layer by layer. The materiality of the paint lends itself to a process of continuous adjustments, and this is readable in the final composition. Unlike watercolor, which pretty much demands a quick, decisive hand, oil allows for second thoughts. Herbin was part of a generation of artists who were deeply engaged with the labor of painting. The fact that a painting, such as this one, was visibly made by hand, was very important. In a society that was increasingly dominated by the efficiency of machine production, the artist's hand offered an alternative vision. The slowness and deliberateness, inherent in the process of oil painting, becomes a powerful statement.