Vraget 1906

Paul Fischer made "Vraget" using oils, probably in the late 19th or early 20th century. He’s really working that brown and grey palette, isn't he? It feels like he’s building up the surface slowly, letting the painting emerge through the process. Look at how thick and creamy the paint is on the shoreline, you can almost feel the grit between your toes. And then, that figure, pale and still against the muddy sand. There’s a real tension between the beauty of the paint and the somber mood of the scene. It reminds me of Courbet, you know, with that same interest in realism and a certain, kind of, raw, emotional honesty. It’s like he's saying, "Here's the world, messy and complicated, full of beauty and sadness all mixed up together."