Constantinos Volanakis Greek, 1837-1907

Acquired by the father of the present owner from the artist circa 1899;
thence by descent

Volanakis' work occupies one of the most important places in the history of modern Greek art. The turn of the century was an age of radical political, economic and social change. During his mature Greek period Volanakis executed a series of works in which the roles of the sea, ports and human presence intermesh to create scenes from the daily toil of fisherfolk and sailors or the bustle of the dockside areas. Whilst depicting harbour views such as the present work, Volanakis also recorded the advances in shipbuilding of his day, and the increasingly bustling activities on the quays and docks, an interest that he had in common with with many of the French exponents of Realism and Impressionism of the day.

Volanakis was renown as the foremost Greek marine painter of the nineteenth century with his masterful representation of ships, detailed recordings of naval fittings and sensitive renderings of atmospheric changes. The present work epitomizes Volanakis' descriptive accuracy and finesse as well as his poetic rendering of the atmosphere of the harbour and its surroundings. Familiar with the sea and seagoing vessels he tried to render the marine environment faithfully, whilst also imbuing his compositions with a certain lyricism and poetry.

Volanakis studied his themes in detail while at the same time incorporating them into a homogenous whole. The motionlessness of the moored ships, the large vertical surfaces of the sails on which the light and shade are constantly interacting, the expanse of the sea, the low horizon and clouds are all key elements of his unique style. Although in keeping with the realist spirit and the technical accuracy of the School of Munich, Volanakis did not concern himself with transposing its precepts to Greece. Instead he increasingly incorporated modern artistic ideas, such as the concept of plein air painting and the importance of capturing fleeting light and atmosphere in his works.