Low Tide at Yport

In Renoir's work, where pure landscapes are encountered relatively rarely, this painting occupies a special place. In the summer of 1883 Renoir went to Yport, a small resort and fishing town on the coast of La Manche. On the recommendation of his friend, Renoir stayed in the house of Alfred Nunès, the mayor of Yport, painting on commission a pair of large portraits of his children. Unlike these two canvases, which are peaceful if not idyllic in spirit, the artist painted the present picture for himself, and it is executed in a completely different vein, with a Romantic tonality usually not associated with the artist.