Les arbres dans la prairie 1893

Léo Gausson made this landscape, Les arbres dans la prairie, using watercolor and charcoal. The soft, translucent quality of watercolor, combined with the expressive potential of charcoal, influences the painting’s hazy atmosphere. Look closely, and you can see how Gausson has layered washes of color to create depth and texture, allowing the white of the paper to shine through. The charcoal adds definition and contrast, particularly in the trunks of the trees. The visible strokes of the charcoal show the hand of the artist at work, and their presence on the page. The choice of watercolor and charcoal, rather than oil paint for instance, suggests a desire for immediacy and spontaneity, a move away from the grand, laboured gestures of academic painting. When we consider the painting through its materials, we can start to consider a move towards a democratization of the art object, challenging traditional ideas about value and skill.