Moïse Kisling

Painted in 1919, Moïse Kisling’s Le port de Sanary is a beautiful work, emblematic of the artist’s approach to landscapes. After moving to Paris in 1910, the Polish-born painter became an instrumental figure in the community of French and émigré artists known as the School of Paris. Surrounded by the likes of Chaïm Soutine and Amedeo Modigliani, Kisling and his contemporaries reinvigorated culture, experimenting with new styles of art. It was Modigliani that Kisling became particularly close with, sharing a studio space and collaborating on pieces together. Kisling has become known for his evocative paintings of everyday life, and his ability to capture bouquets, humans, and landscapes with a sense of both calmness and mystery.

Offering a sense of solace away from the chaos of metropolitan streets, Kisling continually returned to the subject of ports and harbors, often depicting the coasts of France and Italy. Located in the South of France between Toulon and Marseille, Sanary-sur-Mer, also known simply as Sanary, was captured by Kisling numerous times, with paintings such as Le port de Sanary foreshadowing his move South in the 1920’s. The Polish-born painter relocated numerous times throughout his life, but it was arguably the years spent in France which had the most significant impact on his work and identity as an artist.

Le port de sanary presents an interesting approach to perspective, perhaps most visible towards the foreground of the work where the boats and port meet obtusely. During the early 1910’s Kisling adopted a more Cubist method, with his time in Montmartre and Montparnasse, providing him with firsthand exposure to the work of Picasso and Braque. Whilst this piece was painted later, it reveals how the theories continued to inform Kisling’s practice, with flatness and geometry acting as key features within the work. This unorthodox rendering of spatial relationships speaks to Kisling’s tendency to inject his painting with overt stylisation – something which has contributed to his distinctive place within the art market.

1919 proved to be a prosperous year for Kisling, with a successful exhibition held at the Galérie Druet in November resulting in wider, global recognition, particularly with American art dealers. His ability to appeal to an international audience became a continued theme, and today Kisling remains an artist with a strong following worldwide. While particularly marketable in Asia and America he perhaps has the most stable audience in his native Poland.

Overall, Le port de Sanary is an attractive painting, which evokes a sensation of solace and sits within an important period of Kisling’s work

This original Moïse Kisling is available for immediate purchase.