Noon Landscape 1921

Theo van Rysselberghe made "Noon Landscape" with oil paints, likely en plein air, directly responding to the scene. The artist applied the paint in small, deliberate strokes, building up layers of color to create a shimmering, vibrant surface. You see this especially in the way the sunlight dapples through the leaves, creating a mosaic of light and shadow. This technique, known as pointillism, was adopted by artists interested in scientific color theory, using the optical effect of juxtaposed colors. It’s interesting to consider this method in the context of labor. Each tiny dot is a discrete unit of work, and the overall image emerges from countless individual actions. Think about the artist carefully placing each stroke, building up the composition dot by dot. Recognizing the amount of work and the artist's material engagement with the world around them encourages us to expand our understanding of art history.