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The Beach at Dieppe by Gauguin
The Beach at DieppeOil on canvas, 1885 The Beach at Dieppe is very clear in its color, light, and technique. But one is aware of that pursuit of the monumental toward which Gauguin was already inclined. The construction of the picture in horizontal bands under the sky with its rounded clouds is broken by the masts of the sailboats and the figures of the bathers who have waded beyond the first line of breakers. In the foreground, the seated figures lend weight and are rendered in large silhouettes, as Seurat does in his turn. In those of his paintings where we find the influence of Pissarro, Gauguin at this time is still an Impressionist in his love of sunlight, his freedom of technique, the freshness of his colors, and finally for a certain Japanese quality. “But”, says Maurice Denis, “he aspired to read the book wherein the eternal laws of beauty are inscribed”. A fierce individualist, Gauguin nevertheless liked popular art reflecting the spirit of collectivity. And he was soon to turn toward what he called “savage design” and “barbarous color”. The Beach at Dieppe was one of a number of seascapes painted during this period. It is Impressionist in technique, but far removed from the exuberance of comparable landscapes by Monet and others. The atmosphere is fresh but rather bleak, due mainly to the four huddled women on the beach; like many later figures in Gauguin’s art, they seem preoccupied and indifferent to their surroundings. Own An Original Re-Creation
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Hand-painted in oils by a professional artist
