Georges Pomerat (1870-1948) Hauling A Ship In The Saint Jean Canal In Marseille

The difficult work of porters and dockers in the Port of Marseille at the beginning of the 20th century. It is not surprising that this committed artist who became a member of the Proletarian Painters movement was interested in this subject and produced this large oil on canvas which wonderfully illustrates the daily life of port workers and the arduousness of their work. The imposing work is in good condition, it is offered in a modern black American crate type frame which measures 109.5 cm by 90.5 cm and 100.5 cm by 81.5 cm for the canvas alone; It is signed and dated 1911 lower right. It represents two dockers in the foreground hauling a ship in the Canal Saint Jean in Marseille, in the background other dockers are unloading bags. A powerful, anecdotal and moving work which was exhibited at the Regards de Provence Museum in Marseille during the "Marseille de Port en Ports" exhibition and which appears in the exhibition catalog page 49.

Born in Ardèche in 1870 Georges Pomerat s He settled at the beginning of the 20th century in Marseille where he shared a workshop in the Old Quarter, behind La Bourse, with his close friend Jean Guindon. In this workshop all the artists of Marseille Bohemia meet, Louis Audibert, Edmond Astruc, Pierre and Pascal Ambrogiani, Toussaint d'Orcino, Antoine Ferrari, FM Berthet, JF Canepa, Antoine Serra, Pierre Marseille, François Diana etc. and many others. He enjoyed success in the 1920s and 1930s. He then moved to Arles in the 1940s where without money, material aid, relief or food, he died in the Hospital in 1948.