'Jeaune Femme au Port de Sanary', French School (1956)

'Jeaune Femme au Port de Sanary' (Young Woman in the Port of Sanary), oil on canvas, French School (1956). This large, luminous painting captures the languid warmth of the French Riviera in the postwar years. A young red-haired woman reclines on the sun-drenched quayside of Sanary-sur-Mer, dressed in a yellow top and blue-striped shorts, her pose at once casual and confident. Behind her, the iconic harbor of this beloved fishing village unfolds — moored boats rocking gently on deep blue water, Mediterranean villas with terracotta rooftops, and swaying palm trees lining the waterfront. The artist works in a bold Post-Impressionist style, deploying vigorous brushwork and a vivid palette that evokes the sensory richness of Mediterranean life. The figure is rendered in a naive style and a stylised economy of form. The lively townscape is perhaps akin to the spirits of Raoul Dufy or Maurice de Vlaminck in their southern subjects. The painting is signed in the lower right hand but is hard to decipher. The best interpretation is J M Dorel - you may see something else. 

Regarding the scene, Sanary-sur-Mer was a celebrated haven for artists and intellectuals throughout the mid-20th century, lending this work both historical resonance and an irresistible joie de vivre. The painting is in fair overall condition yet presented in a new, handsome frame with linen slip, and has been recently re-stretched on a new stretcher bar — a testament to its enduring appeal. Large in scale and vibrant in colour, it commands a room with an irrepressible joy that more than holds its own against the patina of its seven decades. Presenting the marks of a life well-lived, there are a handful of blemishes, folds, nicks, and age lines which speak only to an authentic and well-travelled history, lending the work the kind of lived-in warmth no pristine canvas can replicate. It has been priced accordingly. Please enjoy the many photos accompanying the listing. Upon request, a video will be provided.

Dimensions with frame:

H 93 cm / 36.6"

W 112.2 cm / 44.2"

Dimensions without frame:

H 81 cm / 31.9"

W 100 cm / 39.4"