'Port De Vendres' by Ant McNaught, 2020, Côte Vermeille, France, California Post Impressionist, Esalen

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Signed verso, 'Ant McNaught' (American, 1952-2016), dated 2020 and inscribed '(After Derain)'.

This California Post-Impressionist and Abstract Expressionist artist studied … Read more Signed verso, 'Ant McNaught' (American, 1952-2016), dated 2020 and inscribed '(After Derain)'.

This California Post-Impressionist and Abstract Expressionist artist studied at the Esalen Institute with Erin Gafill and Tom Birmingham and, later, at the Santa Cruz Art League. He currently lives and paints in Santa Cruz.

A substantial, Post-Impressionist oil showing a sunset view of the Mediterranean harbor of Port-Vendres in the South of France, painted after the 1905 original by André Derain (French, 1880-1954), now held in the permanent collection of the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.

This quiet, Mediterranean fishing port, situated near the Spanish border on the Côte Vermeille in southwestern France, played a significant part in the development of Fauvism as a peaceful refuge for Henri Matisse and Derain. After settling with his family in a hotel, Matisse invited his friend, the young painter André Derain, to join him in the adjacent town of Collioure. Matisse and Derain worked every day, often painting side by side. They sketched the boats in the harbor, the fish market, and the nearby Pyrenees. Their close collaboration led to a new freedom in creating art and the use of color to express the subjective feeling of place. Port-Vendres remains celebrated for its unspoiled, picturesque views, its old-world charm and for its many excellent seafood restaurants. See less