Bazille, Frédéric (1841-1870)
Les remparts d’Aigues-Mortes (The Ramparts at Aigues-Mortes)
1867
Oil on canvas, 60 x 100 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington
From a sandy beach, we look across a sun-drenched body of water enclosed by a long, sand-colored, crenelated wall in this horizontal landscape painting. The scene is loosely painted, especially in the beach closer to us and in the water, which is a blend of aquamarine blue and honeydew green. The beach has a few areas of celery-green growth. The shoreline stretches away along the left side of the painting, back to an area with emerald-green trees. A few boats, painted with swipes of black and peanut brown, are pulled up to the beach near the trees. Spanning the right two-thirds of the composition, the wall angles away from us so the closest part of the wall is to our right. There is a round, stout tower at the end of the wall to our left and another near the right edge of the canvas, though the wall continues beyond that tower. There is an arched doorway about halfway long the length of the wall. The water is smoothly painted with only a few ripples where the tower to our right reflects in the surface. In the narrow space between the beach to our left and the wall to our right, a few buildings, a windmill, and more trees line the horizon in the distance. The top half of the painting is given over to a topaz-blue sky, with only a few puffy white clouds near the horizon.
Bazille spent a month working in Aigues-Mortes, a fortified medieval town in Southern France. This painting, one of three he produced there, is awash in color. Note the blues and greens of the water, the golden hues of the fortress, and the dazzling blue of the sky. Bazille made several preparatory drawings before putting brush to canvas. But once he began, he worked quickly, applying paint in long, sweeping strokes. Along the shoreline we can see the canvas in places. He made no attempt to cover the exposed areas as he rushed to finish the painting in a single session. (NGA)
Compare:
Bazille, Frédéric (1841-1870)
Les remparts d’Aigues-Mortes
1867
Musée Fabre, Montpellier
See also:
• Aigues-Mortes (France)