The Port of l'Estaque, the Pier

1906

Georges Braque

(French, 1882–1963)

France, early 20th century

oil on canvas

Unframed: 59.7 x 73 cm (23 1/2 x 28 3/4 in.)

Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift 2020.104

Location: 223 20th Century Avant-Garde

This artwork is known to be under copyright.

Did You Know?

Inspired by the light and atmosphere of Port of l'Estaque, Braque wrote, “It’s there that I felt all the elation. All the joy, welling up inside me.”

Description

As a young artist, Georges Braque was a member of the French Fauves (“Wild Beasts”) whose principal aim was to liberate color from its descriptive role and instead to use it for purely expressive purposes. He painted this Fauve marine view during his first visit to the south of France when he was only 24 years old and bursting with enthusiasm. His excitement is felt in the undulating hills and the short, powerful strokes of iridescent color, often applied in complementary color contrasts. Yet, rather than informed by scientific method, Braque’s color harmonies are the result of an improvisational process sparked by his emotional reaction to the subject.