Landscape of Martinique 1887

"Landscape of Martinique" was made by Charles Laval probably in the late 1880s using oil paint on canvas. Looking closely at the texture, you can see the individual strokes of paint – commas of color laid side by side. Laval's technique suggests he was influenced by the impressionists, but these broken touches also evoke the intense sunlight of the Caribbean. The effect is heightened by the way he loaded paint onto the brush, giving the surface a tactile quality. It’s as if he wanted to capture the feel of the island as much as its appearance. It's interesting to consider the context of this painting. During this period, many artists were drawn to the “exoticism” of far-flung locations, even as those sites were being reshaped by colonialism. Laval’s engagement with Martinique—with its history as a site of plantation labor—adds a layer of complexity to the work. It reminds us that even a seemingly straightforward landscape painting involves choices: what to depict, and how.