Seascape

Charles Cottet is regarded as the leader of the “black group”, a movement that developed parallel to the Nabis. He rubbed shoulders with numerous artists, including Rodin, who acquired this painting when visiting his friend’s studio. The Musée Rodin has three canvases by Cottet in its collections.

Like many of the artists of his day, the painter was interested in depicting Breton life. But whereas his contemporaries sought a picturesque Brittany, painted in the open air, Cottet recreated his landscapes in the studio, by synthesizing different views. Seascape is one of these views transposed from reality. No human figures are included. The painter preferred to depict nature beneath a stormy sky. Playing with atmospheric effects and variations in the sky, he produced a work with realist undertones, in which the sea offers a glimpse of its potential brutality.