Constantinos Volanakis

A. S. Roony Esq (presented by the Athens Piraeus Electricity Company in 1950)
Sale: Sotheby's, London, 17 April 2008, lot 22 (sold for £322,900)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner
 

Stelios Lydakis, Volanakis, Athens, 1997, pp. 42-43, no. 24, illustrated

The exact time of day described by Volanakis in the present work is unclear, and the marine scene is simply a crepuscular moment, enduring and serene. A father and son observe the industrious fishermen at the water's edge; what would be a busy port full of activity is transformed into an elegant, timeless vignette seen through the eyes of the few figures who populate the quiet scene. Volanakis shows his skill at rendering the tiniest details with great attention, perfected through his studies at the Munich Academy, and revels in the inclusion of these instruments and objects of marine, port and harbour industry. The balanced composition and the focus on both the father and son and the ship nearly eclipsing the sun in the distance unite some of Volanakis' most successful images in a single canvas to optimum effect.