The Execution of Varlin 1917

Here's the story: This is Maximilien Luce’s ‘The Execution of Varlin,’ a painting depicting a very difficult moment, I can only imagine. Luce laid down these thick strokes of blues, reds, and greens, kind of like a mosaic. The painting feels like it’s been built up, layer upon layer. You can see the artist's hand in the application, like he’s right there with us, bearing witness. I wonder what it was like for Luce to make this? The heaviness in the scene, how did he translate that onto the canvas? I'm thinking about the weight of the rifles, the defeated posture of the man being executed, the faces in the crowd, all rendered with such intensity. It's like he’s trying to capture not just the event, but the atmosphere. The way he uses colour, the way the figures are arranged; it all communicates a sense of tragedy. We see art like this and we feel it, we think about it, and then, maybe, we make something of our own. That's how the conversation keeps going.