Seascape with Barge and Breakwater

Nicolas De Staël worked with contrasting colors, bold shapes, and simple brush strokes to create landscapes and seascapes that suggest reality. When he encountered a scene of interest, he would replicate it in its simplest form, displaying his unique visual perception and artistic restraint. The lower register of this painting depicts a freight-carrying barge floating in a green-toned sea. In the upper register, distinct, tonal brushstrokes of grey, green, white and ochre create a stacked, stone-like motif which evokes the breakwater jutting out into the sea.