Braque, Georges (1882-1963)
Le Port d’Anvers (The Port of Antwerp)
1906
Oil on canvas, 49.8 x 61.2 cm
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
Georges Braque worked in several distinct styles during his career; this painting is characteristic of his Fauve period. In 1906 he visited Antwerp, where he painted this Belgian port scene from his hotel window. All the elements of this view, from the abbreviated brushwork to the chromatic sky, water, boats, and balcony railing, are characteristic of the Fauve style. Braque soon abandoned this bright and colourful palette to join Picasso in exploring the muted tones and fractured volumes of Cubism. (NGC)