Czóbel Béla Cagnes Sur Mer 

Bela Czobel’s "Czóbel Béla Cagnes Sur Mer" is an oil painting, likely made in the early twentieth century, using techniques that were considered very modern at the time. The loose brushwork and vibrant colors speak to Czobel's engagement with Fauvism, a style known for its bold, expressive use of color and simplified forms. Oil paint lends itself well to this approach, allowing for layering, blending, and thick impasto, where the paint itself becomes a tactile element. Look closely and you can see how he loaded his brush and applied the color in strokes, using green and yellow to build the foliage and add texture to the landscape. In this period, the availability of mass-produced paints in tubes democratized the medium, enabling artists to work en plein air, directly from nature. The energy and immediacy of "Cagnes Sur Mer" reflects this shift. What seems like a straightforward landscape is actually an exploration of color, gesture, and the very act of painting. It reminds us that art isn't just about what's depicted, but also how it's made.