Péniche Au Bord De La Seine c. 1910

Maximilien Luce painted this riverside scene, Péniche Au Bord De La Seine, with oil on canvas. Notice how the water is made up of these gorgeous greens, blues, and teals, and the sky is mauve and dusky. It’s all about process, seeing how the colours interact and lay next to each other on the canvas. Looking closely, I see how physical the paint is, a thick, tangible surface. The brushstrokes are visible, energetic, not blended into oblivion, especially in that foreground. The greens and blues become almost abstract, just pure colour and texture. Take a look at how he’s placed those small, darker strokes on the surface of the barge to create a sense of depth. This work feels like a precursor to some of the Fauvist paintings that would come a few years later, using colour in a more emotionally expressive way. Art is an ongoing conversation, and in this piece, Luce is definitely part of that dialogue. It’s all about the conversation between ambiguity and intention!