Seascape With A Fortress

The large marina proposed here depicts a lively port view. Immersed in the diaphanous light of dawn, the scene is set in the inlet of a Nordic port, crossed by galleons and boats of different sizes. In the foreground a group of fishermen is preparing a long net while in the background the landscape is dominated by a square-shaped tower. In the shadow of the fortress there is a galleon moored with its sails furled, flanked by some small boats. Another large vessel sails the waters in the distance in the morning mist, while a shy sun filters through the clouds. The taste for representation is to be found in the renewed French landscape tradition of the 18th century, and more precisely in the work of the painter Claude Joseph Vernet (Avignon 1714 – Paris 1789). Very precocious, at the age of 14 he worked in his father's workshop, from whom he later freed himself to travel to Italy and settle in Rome where he "encountered" the painting and landscape models of Claude Lorrain. During his Roman period, which lasted a good twenty years, he established himself as one of the leading landscape painters, specializing in seascapes much appreciated by the Roman public and visiting tourists. 1753 is a very important year for the painter, as he returns to his homeland for a commission, by the royal administration, of 24 large canvases depicting the main French ports. The canvas proposed here can therefore be ascribed to a painter working in Vernet's workshop, having assimilated his taste for the stylistic features dear to the Avignon painter and managing to master the rendering of light and the characterization of figures and landscape.