Les Environs De Saint-Ay 1912

Maximilien Luce painted this canvas, a landscape, with oils—I can almost smell them, can't you? It’s all gentle greens, blues, and creams. The brushstrokes are broken, kind of dabbed on, especially in the sky, creating this shimmering, light-filled effect. I imagine Luce standing en plein air, trying to capture the fleeting moment. What was he thinking as he mixed those greens, trying to get the light just right on the leaves? There’s a sense of immediacy, a freshness, like he was chasing the light, trying to pin down something that was always changing. The paint is applied thinly, allowing the texture of the canvas to peek through, adding to the overall sense of light and air. Look at the reflection in the water – quick strokes of blues and greens, mirroring the landscape above. It’s not a perfect reflection, more like an impression of one, like Monet or Pissaro. And that signature in the corner, Luce—another voice in this ongoing conversation of painting!