Port of Marseilles 1916

Albert Marquet made this painting of the Port of Marseilles with oil on canvas, and it feels like a memory. I love the way Marquet’s brushstrokes create a world that feels both solid and ephemeral, like the memory of a place. There's this muted palette, mostly greys and greens. The texture is smooth, but you can see the individual brushstrokes, especially in the water. The way he layers the paint, thinly in some areas and thickly in others, it gives the scene a sense of depth and movement. Check out the dark shape of the boat in the foreground. It’s anchored by these simple, bold strokes. That dark form is a contrast to the lighter, more fluid strokes in the water and the hazy buildings in the background, so it brings the whole composition into focus. The way Marquet captures the essence of a place reminds me of Vuillard, another artist who was interested in the everyday. Like Vuillard, Marquet shows us that painting is more about feeling than seeing.