The Port of Nice 1882

Curator: Looking at this, I feel such tranquility. It's a very quiet moment captured in paint. Editor: It is, isn't it? We're looking at Berthe Morisot's "The Port of Nice" from 1882, a striking oil painting currently in a private collection. Curator: The brushwork is just incredible. So loose and free, especially in the water. You can almost feel the gentle rocking of the boats. What were these leisure scenes communicating about the politics of their day, or France more broadly? Editor: Absolutely. Notice how the boats and reflections dominate—made through rapid brushstrokes of white, yellow and blue, suggesting speed of production in the industrialisation of pigments and paint supplies that underpinned a move from studios to these fleeting, outdoor, scenes. Curator: True, you know it strikes me how often Morisot painted scenes of leisure, of middle-class comfort, while Manet and Degas tackled more explicitly modern themes such as burgeoning cities, new railway travel, theatres or dance halls. I wonder about the way she carved out a specific public persona? Editor: I agree, the materiality contributes. And this allows us to observe what that life consists of—these boats themselves are not simply objects of pleasure, consider the labor involved. There’s skill, knowledge of materials like wood and rope, that intersects with tourism that made Nice such a desirable location in this period. It hints at an undercurrent, or a working-class port that services such pleasures. Curator: The framing does so much to evoke a sense of serenity in its narrowness. It’s an unusual composition isn't it, almost cropped. I imagine that would also work against any possible class tension that may exist, presenting only leisure. Editor: That is precisely the kind of thing I want to press on. There’s more here than just a snapshot. Morisot and her peers wanted to explore contemporary labor and consumerism by rendering landscapes en plein air. In many ways the framing isolates certain objects so that those stories can be teased out! Curator: I can see how you read it that way. It’s so easy to look at Impressionism as just pretty landscapes. Editor: Exactly. Seeing "The Port of Nice" offers much food for thought, in this story of manufacture and industrialisation. Curator: Well, I'm definitely going to rethink my interpretation of Morisot after this. The picture is certainly worth more than a thousand words.