The Factory Chimney, Meulan Landscape 1912

Roger de La Fresnaye made this painting of a landscape with a factory chimney in Meulan, using oil on canvas. Look at the colours! The yellows and greens are laid down in confident blocks and the chimney is a dark, assertive line, bisecting the scene. There’s something about the materiality of the paint here, the way it’s applied so directly, that gives a real sense of the artist’s presence, his decision-making process. The brushstrokes are visible, and the colours are rich and vibrant. See how the chimney’s colour changes at the top, bleeding into the dark smoke, it's like the industrial and the natural are merging. This piece has a lot in common with the work of artists like Fernand Léger, who also found ways to integrate industrial and mechanical elements into their vision of modern life. It reminds us that art is an ongoing conversation, a way of seeing and thinking that evolves over time.