Entrance to the Park of the Moulin de la Galette 1891

Santiago Rusiñol created this scene, Entrance to the Park of the Moulin de la Galette, using oil on canvas. Here the artist has used thin layers of paint that allow the weave of the canvas to subtly show through. The visible brushwork and the choice of a commonplace subject – an entrance to an amusement park – suggest a certain democratic sensibility. Rusiñol seems to be saying that the act of painting itself, the direct application of pigment, is more important than the ostentation of the subject matter. There is an obvious analogy here with the Impressionist painters, who were motivated by a desire to capture a fleeting moment in time. Rusiñol was also deeply influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, a rejection of industrial manufacturing in favor of handcraft. The art here is in the brushstrokes, the textures, and the materiality of the painting itself.