The present work likely depicts Île de Seine, one of the places in Brittany that preoccupied Zrzavý at the beginning of the 1930s. Another landscape painted in 1934, titled Île de Seine/Twilight on the Coast, was exhibited alongside this work at the Aleš Hall of the Artistic Discussion in Prague.

Zrzavý first visited Brittany in 1925 and returned regularly until 1938. He was particularly captivated living in the elements - witnessing the wind battering the rocky shore, the steep cliffs plunging to meet the ocean and the beauty of the port towns. In his distinctive and recognisable style, he painted a street in Locronan, a little square in Kermeur and the port of Camaret (see lot 53 from the Hascoe Family Collection of Important Czech art, sold in these rooms 13 June 2011). Brittany had a lasting and emotional impact on him; in the present harbour view the subtle colour palette, the careful rendering of line and form, the well-balanced composition and the pervading stillness, all emphasise his in-depth understanding of the landscape.

Zrzavý began his artistic career influenced by Munch and expressionism. He studied at the Prague Academy of Art, Architecture and Design for two years under Vlaho Bukovac. He exhibited with the Sursum group and from 1913-1923 he was a member of the Mánes Artists’ Association.