Au soleil 1910

Léon François Comerre made this oil painting called ‘Au Soleil’. The first thing I notice is the warm, almost glowing palette. Look at the way the light catches the figures, especially the one standing. It’s like Comerre wasn’t just painting a scene, but also capturing the feeling of warmth and sunlight on skin. There’s a looseness to the brushwork that I find really appealing. You can see the individual strokes, they build up a sense of texture and depth, particularly in the foliage. It feels like I can almost touch the leaves. Then there are the nudes, emerging, as if into being. And I keep thinking about that title, ‘Au Soleil’. It’s such a simple phrase, but it sums up everything that's good about this painting. It reminds me a little of Renoir, who was also interested in capturing light and movement, but Comerre has his own distinct style, it feels more classical, less radical perhaps. In the end though, paintings are about asking questions, not giving answers, right?