Theo van Rysselberghe – The Dunes at La Faviere, 1919 Sotheby’s

The canvas presents a coastal landscape dominated by undulating dunes and a distant expanse of water. The composition is structured around a receding perspective, drawing the eye towards a horizon line punctuated by a promontory jutting into the sea. A solitary tree, its branches reaching across the left foreground, acts as a visual anchor, partially obscuring the view but also framing the scene.
The artist’s handling of color and form is notable. The dunes are rendered in a mosaic-like application of pigments – pinks, ochres, greens, and blues – creating a textured surface that suggests both the physicality of the sand and the play of light upon it. This fragmented approach to representation moves away from traditional mimetic depiction, instead prioritizing an impressionistic rendering of visual experience. The water is conveyed through broad strokes of blue and turquoise, reflecting the sky above and contributing to a sense of atmospheric depth.
The vegetation – scrubby bushes and low-lying trees – is similarly treated with broken color, their forms dissolving into the surrounding environment. This lack of sharp definition contributes to an overall feeling of tranquility and spaciousness. The promontory in the distance is rendered as a solid mass of blue-grey tones, its form simplified and somewhat abstracted, further emphasizing the vastness of the seascape.
Subtly, theres a sense of human absence. While the landscape appears untouched, the deliberate composition – the carefully placed tree, the controlled perspective – suggests an observer’s presence and a conscious act of framing. The scene evokes a mood of quiet contemplation, inviting reflection on the relationship between humanity and nature. The emphasis on color and texture over precise detail implies a focus on sensory experience rather than narrative or symbolic content. It is a landscape not merely observed but felt – a place imbued with an atmosphere of stillness and light.