The Lock at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme 1891

Curator: Standing before us is Eugène Boudin's "The Lock at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme," painted in 1891. Editor: My initial feeling is calm, even tranquil. The soft blues of the water mirroring the sky, those wispy clouds… it's almost like a dream. But, I can also see those barges waiting patiently in the water and red roofs lining the shore with what might be the implication of pending commerce about to awaken. Curator: Boudin was a master of capturing atmospheric conditions, and this painting exemplifies his talent for "plein air" painting, trying to catch a glimpse of how all these external structures influence our inner workings. Editor: The way he’s layered the paint – it's not about photographic detail. It's about impression; this semiotic of capturing a moment. Look how the forms of those objects lining the waters have the suggestion of an idyllic human settlement without the detailed architecture. He creates this world through careful brushstrokes of oil on canvas. Curator: Precisely. The reflections in the water are so compelling that it seems they become just as crucial and material to the paintings form and intention than any buildings along the waters. This makes one start to meditate more on time as something relative and not necessarily objective Editor: I think the way this landscape unfolds to reveal those subtle traces of commerce helps evoke some nostalgia. The hazy light gives the work an airy texture to create its romantic atmosphere and even amplify those latent sentimental undertones! Curator: Yes, and by leaving many parts of the landscape with looser interpretations and lines, the mind must fill in the spaces which ultimately involves viewers in some type of collective or collaborative storytelling to make this world seem concrete or to fit to the mind's narrative or structure. Editor: It’s such a beautifully constructed piece and yet at first it just seems like one long expanse, now that the artist guides the way, it's easy to trace and create different types of narrative for such quiet yet intricate spaces. Curator: Exactly. I feel like I just went for a quiet stroll with this piece to reflect and gain insight and now it seems like it is complete in telling it’s message and guiding me along the water as its guest.