L'estacade d'Ostende 1905

Constant Permeke made this painting of the pier at Ostend with oil paint, and you can really feel the push and pull of the tide in the way the paint is applied. The marks are directional, moving you through the scene in looping rhythms. The painting is so physical, you can almost feel the North Sea wind! Look at the way Permeke has loaded the paint onto the surface, especially in the waves and on the pier structure. It's thick, opaque, and he doesn't seem to be trying to hide the process at all. The brushstrokes are like little sculptures, each one a testament to the act of painting itself. Notice the way the muted grays and greens create this moody atmosphere. The whole thing feels like a balancing act between representation and abstraction. I see a kinship with someone like Courbet, who also wasn't afraid to get down and dirty with the materiality of paint. In the end, it's about embracing the ambiguity, allowing the painting to be a space where different ideas and sensations can coexist.