Landscape in Autumn 1909

Gustave Loiseau created this landscape with oil paint, most likely en plein air. Look at the suggestive brushstrokes, the pastel sky, and the way he captures the fleeting moment of the seasons changing. I imagine Loiseau squinting, trying to capture the light as it dances across the fields, telegraph poles, and rooftops. I bet the air was crisp, a bit melancholic even, as summer fades into autumn. It reminds me a little of the way Morisot would render a scene, but with a more assertive touch. See how the paint is applied in short, choppy strokes, almost like he’s building up the image bit by bit, color by color. It gives the whole scene a kind of shimmering quality, as if everything is in motion. That little patch of cadmium red on the roof sings to me; it’s such a bright note amidst all the muted greens and browns. It feels like Loiseau is reminding us to look for the unexpected beauty in the everyday. Like his contemporaries, he's picking up where artists like Corot left off, reminding us that painting is, and should always be, a conversation.