Blick auf das Fort von Gravelingen in Nordfrankreich. Um 1840.
Oil on paper.
Verso dated and inscribed "en 1840/ fort des graveline d'apres nature" by hand in ink. 19 x 36.7 cm (7.4 x 14.4 in).

Our motif shows Fort Gravelingen on the coast of Northern France - executed in front of nature, as a hand-written note in French on verso suggests. The view of the on a cliff and the beach with strollers and bathers beneath was rendered onto the paper in bright colors and glazing broad as well as pastose short brushstrokes. The artist captured the atmosphere of the play of light and shade on the cliff and the wide beach at low tide particularly well. The motif appears to be a reminiscence of the bathing culture popular in the 19th century with popular seaside resorts in the South of England and Northern France, among them Gravelinges on the Côte d'Opale, which was very famous for its dune landscapes, vast beaches and steep cliffes. [FS]