Entrance to the Corbeau mill 1908

Auguste Herbin made this painting of the Entrance to the Corbeau mill with what looks like oil on canvas, and what grabs me first is how the colours refuse to sit still, right? The way the greens and yellows kind of vibrate against the blues and reds, it's like the whole scene is buzzing with energy. Looking closer, you can see how Herbin layers the paint, not trying to hide the brushstrokes but letting them build up texture and depth. The way he's daubed the yellow paint on the ground, it’s thick in some places, almost sculptural, and in others, it's thin and transparent, letting the underlayers peek through. And notice the tree, how it reaches up into the sky like some kind of dark exclamation mark? It’s almost as if the artist is saying, "Here I am, making a mark, being present!" There’s something about Herbin's process that reminds me of Cezanne, that dedication to seeing and feeling and translating that onto the canvas, not worrying about perfection but embracing the messiness of it all.