Claude Vénard (1913-1999) - View Of A Port - Oil On Canvas

Very fine composition by Claude Vénard, depicting a stylized harbor scene, emblematic of his powerful, structured pictorial language.

The work is distinguished by a quasi-architectural construction of space: the sailboats, treated as geometric solids, intertwine in a dense, rhythmic composition. The dark hulls and light sails stand out against a vibrant blue background, punctuated by red lines and strong blacks that energize the whole.

The material is rich, worked with a knife with visible impasto, giving the surface a strong tactile presence. This expressive, almost crude pictorial writing is fully in keeping with Vénard's post-war period, influenced by Fauvism and Expressionism, while retaining a rigor in construction.

The maritime subject, a recurring theme in Vénard's work, is the sea.

The artist's recurring maritime subject is here interpreted with great formal freedom, oscillating between figuration and abstraction.

Signature lower right.