Artwork
Low Tide at Cancale Harbor
Low Tide at Cancale Harbor is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist John Singer Sargent. It dates from 1890 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
About this work
Overview
Low Tide at Cancale Harbor is a 1890 oil painting by John Singer Sargent, an American artist living abroad. The work is a representative example of American Impressionism.
Subject & Meaning
The painting captures a tranquil scene at Cancale Harbor in France, with a large sailboat and smaller vessels in the foreground and background. A figure leaning against the sailboat adds a sense of human presence to the otherwise serene atmosphere.
Technique & Style
Sargent's use of loose brushwork and attention to light and shadow create a sense of depth and realism in the painting, characteristic of Impressionist techniques. The cloudy sky and effects of receding water on the harbor's structures are rendered with a focus on capturing the fleeting effects of natural light.
History & Provenance
The painting is now part of the collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Artist & collection
Artist
John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 15, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Belle Époque and Edwardian-era luxury.
