MAXIMILIEN LUCE | La Falaise de Mers, 1935
Signed 'Luce' (lower left)
Oil on Paper mounted on Canvas
16.5 x 26 cms / 6½ x 10¼ inches
La Falaise de Mers depicts the chalk cliffs at Mers with directness and broad, loaded brushstrokes, to articulate the movement of sea and sky. Layered greens, blues and pale ochres establish a strong chromatic architecture. Luce's long engagement with Divisionist theory is evident in the broken handling of colour, yet here it is tempered by a more fluid-late-career confidence. The headland is constructed through weight and tone, anchoring the composition against the restless surface of the water.
Maximilien Luce was one of the original pioneers of the Neo-Impressionist movement. Often known as the pointillists, these painters sought to apply optical science to art for the first time, challenging the looser technique of the older Impressionists. Using small brushstrokes, the style sought create an unprecedented brightness and vitality by using the contrasts and harmonies revealed by the invention of the colour wheel; understanding for the first time that the viewer’s eye was able to synthesise these into natural tones.
Having debuted at the Salon des Indépendants in 1887, Luce would go on to exhibit at every one of its shows until his death in 1941. As one of the foremost Neo-Impressionist artists, and a leading presence in the avant-garde at the end of the nineteenth century, Luce’s legacy as one of France’s great modern painters is assured, attested by the presence of his works in countless national institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
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