Albert Marquet

ALBERT MARQUET (Bordeaux, France, 1875- Paris, 1947).
"The banks of the Seine".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 38 x 45,5 cm; 47,5 x 55,5 cm (frame).
The painting in question shares a similar composition with Albert Marquet's Quai du Louvre, Soleil d'hiver, a masterpiece by the French artist executed in 1906. In it, Marquet presents a panoramic view of the Seine and its surroundings, capturing the essence of Paris in winter with a melancholy yet vibrant atmosphere, while in this composition the lighting reflects a more golden finish.
This work belongs to the series of cityscapes that Marquet developed after renting an apartment on the Quai du Louvre in 1905. From his privileged vantage point on the seventh floor, he observed the dynamics of the river, the Île de la Cité and the silhouette of the Eiffel Tower, which in this case is subtly sketched. His interest in compositional structure is reflected in the depth of the perspective and in the arrangement of the elements that guide the viewer's gaze across the scene.
Marquet depicts a wet boulevard glistening with rain, with human figures and carriages that energize the composition. Bare trees frame the view, while the Seine, in silvery tones, is lost in the distance. Unlike other fauvists such as Derain and Vlaminck, who used arbitrary colors, Marquet moderated the chromatic intensity and balanced it with a solid structuring of the scene.
Albert Marquet was a French painter, initially known as one of the fauvist painters, although his painting evolved to a more naturalistic style. In 1890 he moved to Paris to attend the École des Arts Decoratifs, where he met Henri Matisse and became roommates. Marquet began his studies in 1892 at the École des Beaux-Arts with Gustave Moreau. In those years, Marquet exhibited paintings at the Salon des Indépendants. His early compositions were characterized by a Fauvist approach, in which he had a fine control of drawing and responded to light, not only intensifying the strongest tones, but also seeing the weaker ones in coloristic terms.
In 1905 he exhibited at the Salon d'Automne, where his paintings were shown alongside those of Henri Matisse, Maurice de Vlaminck, André Derain, Othon Friesz, Georges Rouault, Raoul Dufy, Henri Manguin, Georges Braque, Louis Valtat, Georges Dufrénoy and Jean Puy. At the end of 1907, he remained in Paris and devoted himself, together with Matisse, to a series of city views. Marquet alternated work in his Paris studio with many areas of the European coast and North Africa. He was mainly concerned with Algeria and Algiers and Tunisia.