The Family 1901

Luc-Olivier Merson mixed oil with canvas to make "The Family," and I can only imagine the delicate balance he was trying to strike. The painting feels like a dream, a wash of muted colours hinting at something just out of reach. It’s like he's trying to capture a moment that’s both intimate and staged. You can almost feel Merson searching for the perfect combination of softness and structure. There’s a stillness to the scene, a sense of waiting, like the whole family is holding its breath. I wonder if Merson was thinking about his own family, maybe trying to freeze a moment in time or capture some sort of universal experience. It reminds me a little of Puvis de Chavannes, both trying to find some kind of eternal, calm space. Ultimately, painting is a conversation, isn’t it? We’re all just talking to each other across time, trying to figure things out, one brushstroke at a time.