Sous L´arbre Rolleboise 1926

Maximilien Luce painted this scene, Sous L’arbre Rolleboise, with oil. The painting is made from a limited palette of naturalistic shades of green, brown, and blue, applied with quick, visible brushstrokes. It's like he's trying to capture a fleeting impression. The paint is applied quite thickly, giving the surface a palpable texture. You can almost feel the roughness of the bark and the softness of the grass. Look closely at the way the light filters through the leaves; see the dappled effect created by the broken brushstrokes. Luce doesn't try to blend the colors perfectly, instead, he allows them to sit side by side, creating a sense of vibrancy. Luce’s contemporary, Camille Pissarro also painted landscapes with a similar interest in capturing the effects of light and atmosphere, particularly through the use of broken color and visible brushwork, but I think Luce brings something new to the conversation. Ultimately, the painting reminds us that art is an ongoing conversation, with artists building upon and responding to the ideas of those who came before.