Rocks at Laguna Beach

Alten’s California seascapes play with abstraction more deliberately than his other landscapes. His loose brush strokes construct cool blue waves crashing up against the warm orange rocks, giving the piece a lively energy through his color palette and brush work. This piece is part of a larger trend that can be seen in his work as he approached the end of his life: that of Alten embracing expressionism, which was growing in popularity with the American artistic community.