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Le Bassin du Roy au Havre
Albert Marquet painted Le Bassin du Roy au Havre in 1906, during an early stay in Normandy. The painting is located at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen, and it shows a dock basin in the port of Le Havre seen from an unusually low point, almost at the level of the water.
Where to see it
Le Bassin du Roy au Havre is located at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen, where it is recorded under inventory number 2010.0.1. The fact sheet lists both the Musée National d'Art Moderne and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen in connection with the work's collection. Works are not always on view, so check the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen's official website for current display status, opening hours and ticket information before you plan your visit.
What to look for in person
A view from the waterline
Many of Marquet's harbour scenes are seen from above, often from a window or balcony. Here the viewpoint drops to almost the level of the water. Stand back and notice how the basin fills most of the canvas, pushing the quays and buildings into a band near the top. Your eye crosses the water first, and the town arrives only afterwards. This low angle is unusual in his work, and it changes the feel of the port: less a panorama seen from a distance, more a view from inside the dock itself.
Two kinds of brushwork
Compare the sky and the water up close. The sky is laid in with smooth, even strokes that give a calm, unbroken surface. The water is built from short marks running horizontally and at angles, which break the surface into movement and carry the mirrored shapes of the buildings along the quays. Then step back: at a distance the separate strokes merge into rippling reflections. The contrast between these two zones shows how Marquet used the handling of paint, and not only colour, to separate air from water.
Drawn contours and a soft palette
Look at the buildings along the quays: their edges are fixed with dark, black outlines that read almost like charcoal drawing laid over the paint. Along the quay, the street lamps are put down freehand with quick strokes rather than carefully constructed. Against these firm dark accents, the colour stays restrained, with soft blue-greys and pinks. Notice how little the painting needs in order to describe a working port: a few lines, a limited range of tones, and the reflections in the basin do most of the work.
About the painting
Le Bassin du Roy au Havre is an oil painting on canvas, dated 1906 and measuring 60 cm high by 80.5 cm wide. Its subject is the Bassin du Roy, one of the dock basins in the port of Le Havre. Albert Marquet made it during one of his early periods of work in Normandy, when he was sharing a hotel room in Le Havre with his friend, the painter Raoul Dufy. For a visitor, the most useful thing to know is how the picture departs from Marquet's usual habit. He often looked down on harbours and rivers from a raised position, such as a balcony or an upper window. In this canvas he did the opposite, placing the viewer close to the surface of the water. As a result the basin takes up most of the picture, and the buildings on the quays appear mainly through their reflections. The painting is also a good place to study how Marquet combined drawing and painting. Dark contours define the architecture, quick freehand strokes suggest the street lamps, and different kinds of brushwork distinguish the smooth sky from the broken surface of the water. The colour range is deliberately quiet, built on blue-greys and pinks rather than strong contrasts. Today the work is located at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen, where its inventory number is 2010.0.1. The fact sheet also names the Musée National d'Art Moderne in its collection information, so check the Caen museum's website for current details before visiting.
Key facts
| Artist | Albert Marquet |
|---|---|
| Date | 1906 |
| Size | 60 × 80.5 cm |
| Medium | oil paint, canvas |
| Collection | Musée National d'Art Moderne / Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen |
How to visit: Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen
Caen, France
Hours and prices can change. Please check the official website before you go.
