The Old Port of Marseille

The Old Port of Marseille, painted in 1913, comes from Vlaminck's transitional period when the pure colors of Fauvism were beginning to be tempered by more structural concerns. The port of Marseille—its boats, buildings, and the Mediterranean light that illuminates them—is rendered in colors that are still vivid but more modulated than the primary hues of his Fauve period. The composition shows the influence of Cézanne in its constructive brushwork and its emphasis on the geometric structure of the scene: the boats and buildings are organized into solid, interlocking forms that give the port a sense of permanent architecture.

Marseille's Old Port (Vieux-Port) was one of the most painted subjects in French art, attracting artists from the 18th century to the present with its combination of maritime activity, Provençal architecture, and Mediterranean light. Vlaminck's version belongs to the Fauve tradition of painting the south of France in vivid color, but the 1913 date marks the beginning of his transition toward the more structured, Cézanne-influenced style that would dominate his post-war work.

The Old Port of Marseille is Vlaminck in transition: the colors are still vivid (this is 1913, not long after Fauvism), but the structure is becoming more Cézannist. The boats and buildings are organized into solid forms, and the Mediterranean light is beginning to be modulated rather than simply exploded onto the canvas.