One of Volanakis’ most vivid landscapes, radiating an intense nostalgic charm. The harmonious depiction of natural beauty evokes a feeling of admiration towards nature, and the work’s genre character renders it particularly vivid.
In the foreground, a small boat and a sailboat are depicted moored on the shore. Next to them, a family of fishermen with a mother, a father and two children are sitting in a circle cleaning their nets. In front of them is a wooden fish-pier with all sorts of sailboats moored on it. A gentleman in a hat is walking a little further away – the typical male figure that Volanakis sometimes repeats in his works – and a couple can be seen by the water near him. A seaside settlement with many trees appears further still, and a cape, a long barren strip of land, is depicted in the distance.
To the left of the bay, the glittering sea, with golden reflections in the serene turquoise waters, takes centre stage. Its smooth, glassy surface contrasts with the rocky shore and its wild flora. The scene is completed with familiar sailboats sailing away into the distant horizon.
Stelios Lydakis, Volanakis, Athens 1997, p. 58, 59 (Title: “On the sandy shore”).
Marilena Z. Kassimati (curator), Constantinos Volanakis: Poet of the Sea, exhibition catalogue, Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation, Hellenic Maritime Museum, Athens 2009, pp. 44, 52, 133.
Ioannis Paloumpis, The Boats of Volanakis, catalogue of the exhibition ‘Constantinos Volanakis: Poet of the Sea’, Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation, Hellenic Maritime Museum, Athens 2009, p. 64 (“On the seashore”).
Modern Greek Landscape Painting from the 18th to the 21st Century. Vision, experience and space regenerating, B&M Theocharakis Foundation for the Fine Arts and Music, Athens 2009, pp. 12-132.
Takis Mavrotas (curator), Constantinos Volanakis: The Father of Greek Seascape Painting, exhibition catalogue, B&M Theocharakis Foundation for the Fine Arts, Athens 2018, pp. 34-37 (1888-1889).
Thodoris Koutsogiannis (curator), Constantinos Volanakis: Nostos of the Sea. Artworks from the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation collection, exhibition catalogue, Municipal Art Gallery of Chania, pp. 44, 86-87.
Sotheby’s / London, The Greek Sale, 17/04/2008 (Title: “Seashore”).
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