Shop art print and framed art Retour de pêche, halage de la barque by Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida

The Return from Fishing: Hauling in the Boat is an oil on canvas by the Spanish painter Joaquim Sorolla in 1894. Large in size (265 x 403.5cm), it has been on display at the Musée d'Orsay since 1977. The painting depicts the return of a fishing boat with a lateen sail. Two oxen pull the boat onto a beach surrounded by fishermen. The painting was bought by the French state in 1895 for 6,000 francs. It was successively exhibited at the Musée du Luxembourg, the Louvre (1922) and the Musée National d'Art Moderne (1946) until 1977, when it was attributed to the Louvre and has since been exhibited at the Musée d'Orsay. The scene takes place on the seashore, on the way back from a fishing boat on El Cabañal beach in Valencia: "In the centre of the composition, two oxen in the foreground are pulling a Catalan boat in the background. The flapping sail is inflated by the wind and seems to be helping them. On the left in the foreground, a fisherman is waiting with a plank, probably the one on which the boat will be placed when the time comes. Another sailor is sitting on the neck of one of the oxen, which he seems to be guiding. In the background, in the shadows, another sailor is looking into the boat. Finally, in the background, in the light, a last fisherman in the boat adjusts a sheet so that the wind makes the manoeuvre easier. The whole scene takes place by the sea. Although we don't see any sand, the viewer seems to be on the beach and is ignored by all the actors in the [...]

 

This artwork is a painting from the modern period. It belongs to the impressionism style.

 

« Retour de pêche, halage de la barque » is kept at Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France.

 

Find the full description of Retour de pêche, halage de la barque by Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida on Wikipedia.