Originally from Nevers, Auguste Matisse began his artistic training at the École des Beaux-Arts in Dijon before joining Léon Bonnat’s studio at the Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1895, he became a member of the Société des Artistes Français and exhibited at both the Salon and the Salon d’Automne. Toward the end of the 19th century, he settled on the island of Bréhat, where he lived modestly in a small house among local fishermen and sailors.
Enchanted by the sea, he painted it relentelessly, paying meticulous attention to the movement of the tides. Our Seascape, brought to life by thick, expressive brushstrokes, stands out against a softer, neutral background. The high horizon dominates the composition while positioning the viewer beneath the constant ebb and flow of the sea. Like the stationary rock situated in the right-hand side of the foreground, the viewer remains still as they are drawn into the dynamic energy of the thick layers of paint, which convey the sea’s inexhaustible power while revealing the warmth and glow of sunlight dancing on the water’s surface.