Maximilien LUCE
French 1858–1941
Saint-Tropez, the cemetery road 1892
(Saint-Tropez, la route du cimetière)
oil on canvas
54.0 x 65.0 cm
Private collection
French 1858–1941
Saint-Tropez, the cemetery road 1892
(Saint-Tropez, la route du cimetière)
oil on canvas
54.0 x 65.0 cm
Private collection
Maximilien Luce, who was lured to the south of France by Henri-Edmond Cross and Paul Signac, responded to the light of the Mediterranean and to the industry of its harbours and ports with a palette of vibrant, primary colours. Despite the quiet gait of the solitary walker, all life is stilled as though suspended in the bright air of this peaceful, semi-rural scene. The road shimmers in the sunlight, the ombré sky and intense shadows suggesting summer's heat. Luce limits the Divisionist technique of complementary colours to the yellows of the road and the massed purple shadows at kerbside.