Lake Gel-Gel 1943

Eugene Lanceray painted Lake Gel-Gel with what looks like watercolour, capturing a vista that unfolds from the dark treeline to the shimmering expanse of blue water. I can almost feel the breeze on my face, right? Those broad strokes of blue and green, they’re not just colors, they’re sensations. I can imagine Lanceray, out there, maybe a bit windswept, trying to capture that very specific light as it dances on the water. He’s blocking in the shadows with that intense, almost black green. It’s like he’s saying, ‘Here is mass, here is weight.’ And those goats! Were they really there? Or did he add them in later? The way they stand together, they become part of the composition, part of the feeling. Like the landscape is not just a backdrop, it’s a shared moment. It reminds me of Courbet, who would have painted this scene with a similar intention. That one figure to the left seems to mirror Lanceray, gazing at the landscape and making art of it. It's so meta! It's all one big conversation.