Le Bar Sur La Plage 1923 - 1925

Henri Lebasque made this painting of a beach bar with oil on canvas. It’s kind of hazy, like you’re looking at a memory of a summer day. I wonder what it was like for Lebasque, standing there with his easel, trying to capture the light and the feeling of the place. The brushstrokes are loose, suggesting shapes and figures rather than defining them. Did he start with a light wash of color, then build up the layers, letting the colors blend and bleed into each other? The red post feels really solid and gives a good contrast to the watery blues. There's a sense of movement and life, like you can almost hear the waves and the chatter of people enjoying their day. The canvas texture peeks through in places, reminding you of the physical act of painting. It's not trying to be perfect, it’s about feeling. Just like Bonnard and Vuillard, Lebasque was interested in intimate scenes of everyday life. Artists are always in conversation with one another, picking up ideas and pushing them in new directions. Painting is an ongoing experiment, embracing ambiguity and the unknown.