Barque de pêche en mer by Henry Moret

Henry Moret
1856-1913 | French

Barque de pêche en mer
Fishing Boat at Sea

Signed and dated “Henry Moret 1912” (lower left)
Oil on canvas

A beautiful gestural composition imbued with the sublime beauty of the open sea, this oil on canvas by Impressionist Henry Moret showcases the artist's deft use of color and texture. One of the most celebrated painters of the Pont-Aven School, Moret’s lasting reputation is tied to his talent for capturing the bright skies, lively waterways and the diverse coastline of northern France. With a mastery of plein air composition and a deep appreciation for the natural world, Moret's Barque de pêche en mer renders a fishing boat navigating through the ocean. Moret creates a visceral sense of the vitality of the water and the enormity of the open skies. The artist captures the vigorous energy of the sea with a profusion of green and blue hues applied with a thick impasto. Small yet mighty against the infinite backdrop, Moret's fishing boat forges ahead.

Henry Moret was born in Cherbourg in 1856, though little else is known about his early life. He entered military service as a young man in 1875, and it was during that period when Moret discovered the beauty of France’s northern coasts, particularly those of Normandy and Brittany. After his tour ended, he embarked on his artistic career, completing his formal education at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts under Jean-Leon Gérôme, and later, from about 1880, under Jean-Paul Laurens at the Académie Julian.

He exhibited for the first time at the Paris Salon in 1880, submitting a landscape of the coast of Brittany. During his time in Paris, he frequently traveled to Brittany to paint the region he so loved. In 1888, he more firmly established himself in Pont-Aven, a town whose center had become an artistic refuge for artists such as the great Paul Gauguin, Ernest Ponthier de Chamaillard, Emile Jourdan and others. Under Gauguin's influence, he briefly explored the concept of Symbolism in his works, but after Gauguin left Pont-Aven in 1891, Moret returned to his Impressionist roots. He formed a relationship with the famed dealer Durand-Ruel in 1895, and his career was officially launched. Today, his works can be found in important museums including the Manchester Art Gallery, the State Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg), the National Gallery of Art (Washington DC) and others.

Dated 1912

Canvas: 28 3/4” high x 36 3/4” wide
Frame: 36 5/8" high x 44 1/8" wide

Exhibited: Henry Moret, Galerie Durand-Ruel, April 5-January 29, 1966, n° 47

Provenance:
Sale Marcel Bernheim Gallery 1982.
Private Collection.
Sale Pierre Berge & Associés: Wednesday, June 22, 2016 (Lot 00022).
Private Collection, Sunny Isles, Florida.
M.S. Rau, New Orleans, LA.