The port of Rotterdam 1908

Maximilien Luce created this atmospheric painting of "The Port of Rotterdam" using oil on canvas, a common medium for artists of his time. The brushstrokes are thick and visible, almost like a mosaic of color laid onto the surface. Look closely, and you’ll notice the way the paint is applied in short dabs and strokes, capturing the shimmering light on the water and the hazy atmosphere of the industrial port. This technique gives the painting a vibrant, almost animated quality. Luce was drawn to scenes of labor and industry, and his interest in the materiality of paint mirrors his fascination with the materials and processes of the working world. The port itself was a place of intense activity, a hub of trade and transportation, but also a site of labor. By using the craft of painting to depict this scene, Luce elevates the everyday to the level of high art, challenging traditional distinctions between the two. Ultimately, Luce invites us to consider not only what is depicted, but how it is depicted, reminding us of the labor involved in both the making of art and the making of a modern world.