Flood at Nantes 1909

Gustave Loiseau created this painting of the flood at Nantes with oil on canvas, capturing a landscape in quiet turmoil. I love how he's built the image with small brushstrokes, almost like he's knitting the scene together, layering different hues to create a sense of depth and atmosphere. You can almost feel Loiseau standing there, watching the water creep up, his hands probably freezing as he tries to capture the light on the surface of the water, the way it reflects the sky and those ominous clouds. He’s really working those greys and browns and whites. I bet he’s looking at Corot, maybe Sisley, but trying to do his own thing, trying to find a way to express how this place feels to him. Look at those bare trees, how they reach up like skeletal fingers against the skyline, and the distant buildings huddled together as if for warmth. Painting is always about feeling your way through something, it’s about asking questions and not always having the answers. And as artists we’re all in this ongoing conversation, riffing off each other, trying to find new ways to see the world.