Painting The Sea, artist Maxim Babich

• Artist: Maxim Babich
• Title: "The Sea"
• Year: 2017
• Size: 50 × 40 cm
• Materials: canvas, oil
• Original hand-painted painting

This horizontal seascape opens a view from the shore onto restless water. In the foreground a dark strip of sandy or pebbly beach runs diagonally into the left corner, while foamy waves with green crests roll straight towards it. The middle ground is taken up by the broad turquoise expanse of a bay, beyond which stretches a low shoreline with the white and pinkish buildings of a small town, a pier and a light-coloured lighthouse. Above them rises a mountain massif half hidden by clouds, and seagulls soar in the sky and over the water. A small jetty is visible at the left edge. The composition is built on alternating horizontal bands: shore, waves, bay, mountains and sky.

The work is painted in oil on canvas in an impressionist manner, probably under the impression of nature. The artist paints quickly and freely: the waves are rendered with horizontal and slanting strokes, the foam with light touches of the brush, the clouds with soft blended patches. In places the texture of the canvas shows through the thin layer of paint, giving the painting lightness and airiness. The details of the town are indicated by just a few colour accents and the seagulls by short strokes, which makes the landscape resemble an instant snapshot of weather and light.

The palette is restrained and light: grey-blue and lilac tones in the mountains and clouds, turquoise and emerald shades in the water, whitish bands of foam and warm pinkish-cream highlights in the clouds. The dark mauve shore below adds depth and emphasises the freshness of the sea colours. The mood of the painting is a windy day by the sea, when clouds hang low over the mountains, waves run up the beach and the air is full of moisture and salt. The landscape conveys both the movement of the elements and the calm breadth of open space. The eye glides involuntarily from the foaming surf to the distant mountains and back.

Maxim Babich is a painter working in easel painting in the impressionist style. Light and colour are the main protagonists of his work: the artist seeks to convey a living impression of nature, the feeling of air and the state of a particular moment.

Its compact 50 × 40 cm format allows "The Sea" to be placed almost anywhere: in a study, bedroom, hallway or at a workplace in the office. The light sea palette visually expands the space and fills the room with air. The painting will make a good gift for a man, a colleague or a business partner, especially one who loves the sea, travel and walks along the coast. The work is unframed, so it is easy to match to an interior with a suitable frame.