Oxen, Boat and Fishermen, Valencia

Photography was becoming more widespread during the early twentieth-century, and, like a photograph, this painting captures a moment in time. Painting a moving image is extraordinarily difficult. Alten achieved movement by adding the light blue sheen of water on the backs and legs of the oxen. The oxen’s heads, bowed in exertion as they trudge through the sand, make this piece look natural and paced, even though it had to be completed quickly.