Signed p.d.: T. Kwiakowski [sic!]
on the reverse (in ink): Mr | W[...]cher devauldon | 9003
Compare with:
- A. Melbechowska-Luty, Teofil Kwiatkowski 1809-1891 , Wrocław-Warszawa-Kraków 1966, p. 144 cat. no. 73, il. 17 p. nlb.[Fishing off the coast of Marseilles, 1840-1845];
- View of the Port of Avinion (oil, board, 20 x 38.3 cm), National Museum in Warsaw, id. no. MP 97 MNW (photo opposite).
- View of the Port of Avinion (oil, board, 19.8 x 37.3 cm), National Museum in Warsaw, id. no. MP 96 MNW (photo opposite).
There is a well-known watercolor sketch with the same title, reproduced in a black and white illustration included by Aleksandra Melbechowska-Luty in: Teofil Kwiatkowski 1809-1891 (il. no. 17). According to Melbechowska-Luty, a series of drawings and watercolors depicting studies of fishermen, sailors and sketches of landscapes and the Marseilles coast were created between 1840 and 1845. Based on the dating of the watercolors, we can also date our oil painting.
Maintained in pastel tones, the landscape depicts the area around Marseille. The azure depths of the sea are gently marred by the wind. The static composition is enlivened only by the silhouettes of sailing ships, fishing boats and a steamer. Pink clouds float across the blue sky, giving the whole composition romantic overtones. The depth of the whole composition is given by the distant rocky shore, delicately outlined and illuminated by the sun. According to Melbechowska-Luty, the artist began work on the painting with general sketches made in nature. The main part of the work was created in the studio and then, with color corrections, the painter went outdoors again.
Comparing our painting with works in the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw (both titled View of the Port of Avinion), one can see that they are all strongly influenced by English Romantic painting. Kwiatkowski, like William Turner, focused on the play of light and color observed off the coast of the Marseilles port. Despite their small form (they are all very similar in size), the paintings show the painter's sensitivity to natural beauty.
Teofil Kwiatkowski (Pułtusk 1809 - Avallon in Burgundy 1891) - an outstanding representative of Romanticism in Polish painting - studied painting at the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Warsaw under A. Brodowski and A. Blank in 1825-1830. As an officer of the 4th infantry regiment, he fought in the November Uprising; after its defeat, he emigrated to France, where he remained for the rest of his life. he initially stayed in Avignon, later in Paris. Here he still studied under A. Toussaint, P. Senties, J. L. Dulong and L. Cogniet. He maintained close contacts with the émigré community, including the family of the Princes Czartoryski, Adam Mickiewicz, Frederic Chopin, Cyprian Kamil Norwid, and Teofil Lenartowicz. He repeatedly portrayed Chopin (including on his deathbed), to whom he also dedicated a large, symbolic composition Bal at Hôtel Lambert - Chopin's Polonaise. He painted beautiful landscapes from Provence and Burgundy, imbued with a romantic aura. He painted oil paintings and very numerous, masterful watercolors - portraits, landscapes, genre scenes, patriotic, costume and allegorical scenes. His works are characterized by unsurpassed color qualities, an emotional attitude to nature, as well as a typically romantic inclination towards fantasy and metaphor, often tinged with a shade of melancholy. The artist exhibited, among others, at the official Paris Salons (1839-1881), and also sent his works to national exhibitions (1862-1873 TZSP in Warsaw). His paintings, watercolors, drawings are in the Mickiewicz Museum in Paris, in the collections of the National Museums in Warsaw, Krakow and Poznan, others are in private hands in France. They are rare on the antiquarian market.
