This delightful composition lays out a picturesque scene of the French seaside resort of Deauville including beautiful ladies attired in the fashion of the day, a serene locale and sporting pastimes including sailing and horseback riding along the sand.
A fashionable woman in dove grey sits below a striped umbrella, staring intently into the unseen interior of the tent. Another in period bathing costume stretches in a lithe pose, perhaps preparing for a swim. A third woman just out of view stands on a small boardwalk into the sand. But the main focus is La Swann, the tall figure at the center of the painting in a form fitting gown of pale pink with matching parasol, offset with deep blue gloves. She is elegant, standing off the sand next to bright blossoms along a fence, gazing quietly out at the sea. In the distance, we see the spa with French flag which gives us the "cure marines" of the title. It is thought that the medicinal use of sea water, products of the sea and the coastal climate, also known as Thalassotherapy, originated in the seaside towns of France in the 19th century.
Detailed, active and with fine fauvist detail, the composition and technique recalls works by famed artists Kees van Dongan and Jean Pierre Cassigneul. This work has all the hallmarks of the best of Dilley's style. Given Dilley's talent, his choice of subject matter and the desire for this style of post-impressionism, Dilley will be an artist to watch for and collect in the years to come.
