An oil painting on panel, "Marseille, Its Port," by Alexandre ISAILOFF
An oil painting on panel, "Marseille, Its Port," by Alexandre ISAILOFF
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Alexandre ISAÏLOFF (1869–1944)
A painter of Russian origin, he spent his childhood in Marseille and, naturally, enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts in Marseille, then in the studio of Jean-Baptiste Olive, whose influence would be felt throughout his life.
Indeed, Olive was one of the great painters of the Provençal coast, renowned for his depictions of the calanques, the rocks, and the play of light on the Mediterranean.
But Isaïloff gradually develops a more fragmented style and colorful harmonies that are at times more daring.
Gérard Schurr, a leading expert on the “Little Masters,” describes him as “the Impressionist of the Mediterranean.”
Further information
| Dimensions | 68 × 54 cm |
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He also traveled to Italy and the East, staying in Venice, where he painted several views and brought back with him the distinctive light of the East that can be seen, for example, in the work of our painter.
He began exhibiting in Paris in the late 1890s.
He received an honorary diploma at the National Labor Exhibition in Paris in 1898, followed by a Grand Prix the following year.
In 1904, he was named a Knight of the Royal Order of the Savior of Greece.
Marseille is not simply a city where Isaïloff studied; it is one of the recurring themes in his paintings.
Our painting depicts the entrance to Marseille’s Old Port, dominated in the foreground by the Tower of King René, part of Fort Saint-Jean. In the background, on the hills, the silhouette of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde can be seen.
Fort Saint-Jean, with its imposing walls and geometric forms, structures the entire central portion of the painting. At its base, several sailboats bring life to the dark waters of the harbor.
But what strikes you most of all is the light.
Isaïloff contrasts the violet and bluish tones of the fortifications with the luminous pinks that illuminate the walls.
The sky, rendered in a harmonious blend of turquoise, mauve, and pink, lends the composition an almost surreal atmosphere.
In the foreground, the sea is painted with thick impasto, using quick, fragmented brushstrokes.
The reflections of the fortifications scatter across the water’s surface, creating a warm and vibrant glow.
