Six Marines: Souvenir Saint Valéry-sur-Somme
1833
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1833
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Six Marines: Souvenir Saint Valéry-sur-Somme is a 1833 by Eugène Isabey, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This black-and-white print shows a small coastal village at dusk. A few simple houses huddle near the shore, their rooftops low and plain. In the foreground, a beached boat leans on the wet sand, its mast tall against the darkening sky. A few people walk along the beach, their shapes blurry in the fading light. The title hints this is a memory of Saint Valéry-sur-Somme, a quiet French fishing town. The artist used soft shading to show light fading into shadow, making the scene feel moody. Look up chiaroscuro to see how this lighting trick works.
