Oil On Panel 18th Century After Lacroix De Marseille

Mediterranean port at sunset. After Charles-François Lacroix of Marseille and workshop Period 18th century, bearing the date of 1764 (on a barrel) Oil on parqueted oak panel Louis XVI period frame in gilded wood decorated with pearls and water leaves. Dimensions with frame: 62 x 82 cm. The panel alone: 52 x 74 cm With this bustling port scene, which no element allows us to locate, the painter follows in the tradition of landscapes painted during the Grand Tour, using his imagination alone. At sunset, figure in the foreground, still on a quay at the water's edge with rocks, people; fishermen, sailors at work, men dressed in Turkish clothes, smoking a long pipe. An imposing ship at anchor, fortified ramparts with a tower and steep cliffs complete this composition where the sky occupies part of the space. The painter pays particular attention to the representation of atmospheric effects, depicting skies tinged with orange mist or illuminated by the emergence of a ray of sunlight. Here, pink and bluish clouds accompany the soft light of the sunset, to give a romantic feel to the whole. Charles-François Lacroix of Marseille distinguished himself in the 18th century through his seascapes, inspired by the work of his master Claude Joseph Vernet.