Beach at Cabasson (Baigne-Cul)

In 1891, as a result of his rheumatoid arthritis, Henri Edmond Cross moved to Cabasson, a hamlet on the Côte d’Azur in southeastern France. The move deeply affected his art: after settling on the Mediterranean coast, he embraced the divided brushwork (small dashes and dots of color) and tonal gradations of “scientific Impressionism.” This methodical technique was a departure from the Impressionists’ more intuitive quick strokes of color to capture fleeting atmospheric conditions. In this beach scene, Cross used this more systematic paint application to convey the color and heat of his adopted region.