Chinoiserie with Man Fishing from Boat, Woman and Child Standing on Shore
Medium
Brush and black and gray wash, over graphite, on tan laid paper
Dimensions
11 × 26 cm (4 3/8 × 10 1/4 in.)
Classification
ink or chalk wash
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
85785
Art Historical Context
Claude Joseph Vernet, leading 18th-century French painter renowned for his dramatic seascapes and landscapes, created this delicate *Chinoiserie with Man Fishing from Boat, and Child Standing on Shore*. The scene captures an idyllic, imagined Oriental harbor: a fisherman in a boat casts his line, while a woman and child stand on the shore, ev a sense of serene harmony with nature. Though undated, it reflects Vernet's mastery in evoking atmosphere, blending his expertise in marine subjects with the fashionable Chinoiserie trend. Executed in brush and black and gray wash over graphite on tan la...
About the Artist
Claude Joseph Vernet · 1714–1789
Claude-Joseph Vernet and his direct descendants are the last representatives of the Avignon School which had provided a continuous line of artists since the 14th century. It originated at the time when Bernard de Goth, Archbishop of Bordeaux, became pope in the name of Clement V and transferred the seat of the papacy to Avignon where he established an influential artistic community. Comment on wor...