The River in Autumn 1912

Gustave Loiseau painted this river scene in autumn perhaps with oil on canvas, letting the landscape come into being through trial, error, and intuition. I bet Loiseau found himself in a conversation with Monet, maybe even Pissarro, whilst standing on that riverbank! You can see the light dancing on the water as short strokes of paint build a shimmering surface. The trees are ablaze with autumnal color, each leaf suggested by a dab of yellow, orange, and brown. The sky is a swirl of blues and pinks, reflecting in the water below. Look at how those individual brushstrokes come together to create form and depth. There’s a real sense of movement here, like the scene is still unfolding before our eyes. The surface is alive with energy and reminds us that artists are in an ongoing conversation, inspiring one another’s creativity through an embodied expression, which allows for multiple interpretations.