Bordeaux Harbour 1886

"Bordeaux Harbour" is an 1886 oil painting by Paul Gauguin, the French post-impressionist artist who helped to pioneer the Synthetist style. This painting depicts a harbor scene in Bordeaux, France, with several sailboats and a tall church spire on the shoreline. The Impressionist style of the work can be seen in the visible brushstrokes and the focus on capturing the ephemeral effects of light and atmosphere. The painting's composition is simple yet dynamic, with the sailboats and the spire creating strong vertical lines that draw the viewer's eye upward. This work was one of Gauguin's early paintings, and it foreshadows the bold colors and simplified forms that would become hallmarks of his mature style.