Henri Edmond Cross’s painting of the coastline near Cabasson, France, silhouettes the region’s distinctive pine trees against sea and sky. Using rows of carefully laid dots, Cross captures the color gradations created by a setting sun. The artist had moved from Paris to this area of the Mediterranean coast in 1891 to manage his rheumatoid arthritis, and he immersed himself in the landscape and light effects of his new home. In December of that year, he wrote to fellow artist Paul Signac, "I think I’ve taken a step towards the charms of pure light."

After earlier working in a looser Impressionist style, Cross became one of the most dedicated adherents of the optical theories and scientific approach pioneered by Signac and Georges Seurat. One art critic described Cross as "the most categorically and most formalistically pointillist, with characteristic round dots that hit you in the eye."