Shell cart

“Weissenbruch’s late style is marked by ease, lightness and transparency. Weissenbruch devoted himself entirely to the inherent aspects of oil painting: the quality of the brushwork, the texture of the paint surface, the arrangement of tonal values, and the balanced organisation of elements within pictorial space. In this respect he achieved a level of abstraction that drew admiration from the young Piet Mondrian.” Shell cart is a wonderful example of Weissenbruch’s late painting style. By varying the size of his brushstrokes, the artist emphasises the textural diversity of the scene. Long, almost indistinguishable brushstrokes evoke the flat light of late afternoon; shorter brushstrokes – sometimes overlapping, sometimes merging together – suggest the foaming waves of the sea; and dabs of assorted brown and grey tones convey the light of the setting sun reflected on the mixed and irregular surface of the beach.

Source quotation: E. Jacobs, H. Janssen, M. van Heteren (eds.), J.H. Weissenbruch 1824-1903, Oss, Den Haag 1999.