The French artist
Jean Clastice has become one of the most famous modern artists of our times. Known for his striking renditions of landscape and people, his work frequently appears in art museums and galleries around the world as reproductions or original works. The most well-known of these is his painting entitled The Waves. This article uncovers this masterpiece of art.
Although it depicts an actual sunset, this painting is actually a much older work. It was created during the middle years of the Nineteenth Century. Its title, The Waves, refers not only to the watery substance that is depicted, but also to Gaugges' own use of color and the process of rendering.
In the painting, the large scale oceanic waves are seen stretching towards the horizon against the dark background of the waters. The largest of these is actually breaking the surface of the water as it extends further inland. At the lower left, we can see the outline of a boat made of water and pebbles resting on the beach. The boat is being gently steered by a man on board. The water is gently nudging the boat and making it sway back and forth as it rests upon the beach.
The waves continue moving until they finally break the surface of the water and recede inland. This is followed by a second and much larger wave that crashes upon the boat and makes it tip back towards the shore. The third wave comes in a much calmer fashion and just barely misses splashing the canvas as it comes in. The entire sequence of events is set to a dramatic musical accompaniment as the canvas slowly reflects the light from the setting sun.
Gaugges used several other techniques in order to bring this image to life. He usually painted his subjects in silhouette, which enabled him to add depth to the image without actually making them appear closer to the viewer. For example, at the beginning of the image we can see the sun directly behind the subject as he stands on the shore. We then cut to a close-up of his face as he raises both his hands in greeting. Finally, we shift to a long distant view as he looks down at his hands.
Throughout the majority of the painting we see Jean Gaugges manipulate his colors to suggest light or darkness. When his hand is held upwards we can see a warm color underneath, representing summertime. When his hand is raised downwards we are able to see his dark color, symbolizing winter. This technique was used throughout the entire painting.
Another striking aspect of this painting is the way in which Gaugges frames the water. At one point in the painting he has the water resting on a pointed nose, representing the nose of a newborn bird. At the other points in the painting the water appears to be resting on the body of a much older seahorse. In addition, Gaugges also uses the shadows in the painting to suggest movement. When the shadow falls over the water, it shows a gentle movement beneath the water, whereas when the shadow is large and spans the entire width of the painting, it suggests that the seahorse is swimming.
A final detail that we will note about this painting is the placement of the sun on the water. At around the center of the painting, the sun seems to directly above the water when we view the painting from a normal view. However, when the painting is viewed from below, the sun appears to be slightly to the left of the water. It is interesting to note that Gaugges often chose to place the sun in an unusual location, usually above the water, to make a striking effect with the lighting that he was using at the time.
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| Jean-Claude Gaugy – Biography – Jean Claude Gaugy Wikipedia | Jean Claude Gaugy Wikipedia |
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