1825 -1870 · Manche, Seine and water passages

Corot approaches port, beach and boat with the sobriety of the landscaper: quay, sail and shore become measuring points in changing light.

Camille Corot is not a specialized marine painter, but her travels and studies regularly take her to the coasts, ports and rivers. In Sainte-Adresse and Étretat, fishermen's houses, beach and cliffs introduce the light of the English Channel. In Dunkirk, ramparts and port gate combine defensive architecture, water and maritime traffic. On the Seine, Port-Marly transforms the river loop into a passage space, while the ferries and boats near Douai or under the willows give an intimate scale to the crossing. Corot works on the motif with precise construction, then sometimes takes up the atmosphere in the workshop. Corot works on the motif with precise construction, then sometimes takes up the atmosphere in the workshop. The boat often remains small: it indicates the current, distance and use of the place rather than a naval drama. This collection dismisses portraits simply associated with a toponym "sur-Mer" and remains centered on real water landscapes. It reveals a Corot attentive to the thresholds between inhabited land, river and maritime horizon. The selection "Marines, ports and boats by Camille Corot" notably compares Fishermen's houses in Sainte-Adresse (Seine-Maritime) - Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot and Dunkirk, ramparts and port entrance - Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot. His reading favors details.

Corot's boat is a sign of passage: a few touches are enough to show where the water circulates, crosses and reaches the horizon.