Maximilien Luce was born in 1858 to a working-class Parisian family. Despite his modest beginnings, Luce went on to become one of the founders of the Neo-Impressionist movement along with Camille Pissarro, Georges Seurat and Paul Signac. The Neo-Impressionists sought to improve upon the Impressionist style with a scientific method of painting called Pointillism.

Around 1900 however, Luce moved away from the pointillist technique of painting small dots of pure color, in favor of more expressive and spontaneous strokes.

Not only did the artist distinguish himself from his colleagues with an instinctual, less rigid technique but also by his choice of subject matter.

Luce painted social realist scenes of workers and fishermen, peaceful scenes of leisure and picturesque landscapes and seascapes.

Luce’s works are featured in permanent collections of many internationally renowned museums including, among others, the Musée D’Orsay in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum in New York, N.Y., the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, and the Legion of Honor museum in San Francisco, California.