Sailing boat on a sea 1927

Tadeusz Makowski made this painting of a sailing boat on the sea sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. It looks like it was done alla prima, wet on wet, probably in one go. It's the way the paint is dragged across the surface that gets me. The whole painting is in motion, look at how he uses the brush to pull the paint across the waves, mirroring the way the boat slices through the water. Thick, buttery strokes build up the sails, and the little figures inside are just dashes of color. The paint is so tactile, you can almost feel the salty air. What I love most is how he captures the feeling of being out on the water with so few marks, I'm reminded of Boudin, and how he could capture the coast of France with similar strokes. Makowski shows us that art doesn't need to be perfect; it just needs to feel true.