Sea fishermen

FISHING BOATS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
ARTIST: Georges Ricard-Cordingley (1873-1939)
TECHNIQUE: Oil on canvas
TIME: First half of the 20th century
DIMENSIONS unframed: 20 x 27.5 cm
DIMENSIONS with frame : 37 x 45 cm Attractive carved wood frame from the 1940s (showing some wear).
EXEMPLAIRE : Original work signed lower left

In this composition depicting a scene of Mediterranean fishermen on their boats hauling in their nets in the early hours of the morning, Georges Ricard-Cordingley demonstrates his skill as a marine painter. The posture of the fishermen in exertion, the boats at one with the liquid element, the mastery of light and the subtle harmonies make him a master in his field.
Georges Ricard-Cordingley (1873-1939) spent his life as an ocean-going captain, crisscrossing land and sea. From London to Sydney, from Newfoundland to Marrakesh, from Boulogne-sur-mer "the hub of his maritime travels" to Cannes "the ultimate stage of his aesthetic reflections and his approach to light", he devoted himself entirely to painting, his passion, his profession, his reason for living.
Ships at sea or resting on the shore, storms or flat calms, landscapes of lakes or cliffs overlooking the sea, Ricard-Cordingley focused all his life, under all latitudes, on a single subject: marine space or the constant dialogue between sky and water.
It could be Signac in the drawing and the precision of the line as he tackles the construction of the ship, but it's Ricard-Cordingley. It's akin to Turner's work, when he pushes the study of light to the extreme, but it's Ricard-Cordingley. Sometimes, in the way he treats watercolors, the subtlety of his values recalls Delacroix, but it's still Ricard-Cordingley.
A romantic to the end of his brushes, he enjoyed notorious success during his lifetime, in keeping with his talent. His collectors included Queen Victoria, Alexandre Dumas fils, Gordon Bennet, Pierre Loti, Jules Clarétie and Waldeck Rousseau.
His works can be found in numerous museums in France:
Paris, musée national de la Marine.
Paris Musée d'Art Moderne.
Boulogne-sur-Mer, Berck-sur-Mer and Le Touquet museums.
Toulon art museum.
Cannes, Musée de la Castre.
Menton, Musée des Beaux-Arts.
Abroad:
Royal Collection of England.
Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA.
Hermitage and Pushkin Museums, Russia.
And Casablanca, Morocco.
Exhibitions :
Salons : Artiste Français, Société nationale des Beaux-Arts, Musée national de la Marine, Royal Academy.

*This work is sold as is, and as a second-hand item, the buyer accepts that it may show signs of use, wear, fragility, age or restoration due to the passage of time.

Ref: ZRB9LJC7OO