

The above painting is Leslie Lerner’s My Life in France: The Oceanside (The Green Day), 2002, currently on view at Tampa Museum of Art.
From the museum’s wall plaque about the work-
Paintings and sculpture comprise Leslie Lerner’s series My Life in France, a fictional travelogue of the artist’s globetrotting alter ego. Inspired by Rococo painter Antoine Watteau (French, 1684-1721), Lerner’s work nods to the idyllic and lush canvases of 18th-century landscape paintings. The Oceanside (The Green Day) depicts a man standing on a grassy cliff and facing the ocean. His size pales in comparison to the vastness of the ocean he faces. Calming shades of aquamarine blue and moss green emphasize the serene beauty of the shoreline.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Lerner developed his artistic practice in San Francisco and initially created installation art. He taught art in various colleges and universities in California for several years before relocating to Sarasota, Florida. For 15 years, Lerner served on the faculty at the Ringling College of Art and Design.
