“The Port of Bordeaux,” an oil on canvas painting created by Edouard Manet in 1871 in Artigues-près-Bordeaux, France, exemplifies the Realism movement. The artwork’s dimensions are 63 by 100 cm and it is categorized as a genre painting, currently housed in the Feilchenfeldt Collection in Zürich, Switzerland.
The artwork depicts a bustling port scene, replete with numerous vessels lined along the harbor and an array of masts and sails catching the eye. The foreground shows workers engaged in their daily labor, maneuvering goods with a palpable sense of vitality. The brushwork is dynamic yet controlled, capturing the essence of maritime life with a richness in detail and atmosphere. The background features the silhouette of the city, blending softly into the horizon, thus highlighting Manet’s adeptness in portraying both industrial activity and urban ambiance seamlessly.
