The Beach of Les Grands Sables at Le Pouldu
1890
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
60 × 70 cm (23 5/8 × 27 9/16 in.)
Classification
painting
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
212300
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In the summer of 1890, Paul Sérusier traveled to the small seaside village of Le Pouldu in Brittany in northwestern France. The artist was struck by the area’s dramatic, untamed landscape, particularly its beaches’ sweeping dunes and wind-bent trees, which dominate this picture. He emphasized the power of nature by including a tiny human figure among the dunes. Seeking to convey the sensations of the environment without being overly representational, Sérusier composed the picture with fields of ...
About the Artist
Paul Sérusier · 1864–1927
The painter first studied at the Lycée Condorcet in Paris, focusing on philosophy, then painting at the Académie Julian from 1885-1890. His painting of a Breton Weaver won an honorable mention at the Salon of 1888. He was the principal figure in the formation of the group known as the Nabis, in the same year. In 1896 he collaborated on masks and sets for the first performance of Alfred Jarry’s Ubu...