plate no. 1721
Le Havre
Albert Marquet, 1911
recreation guide
Albert Marquet’s *Le Havre* (1911) represents a pivotal moment in his transition from the intense, non-naturalistic colors of Fauvism to a more restrained, atmospheric Impressionist style. As a lifelong friend of Henri Matisse and an early Fauve, Marquet initially employed bold, arbitrary colors, but by 1911, his work began to emphasize the structural integrity of the cityscape through tonal modulation rather than pure chromatic intensity (Source 5). The painting likely depicts the port of Le Havre, a frequent subject for Marquet, characterized by the interplay of light on water and the architectural forms of the harbor. While specific visual details of this particular canvas are not described in the provided sources, Marquet’s general practice during this period involved capturing the 'spirit' of the place through simplified forms and a focus on the atmospheric conditions, moving away from the decorative flatness of his earlier Fauve works toward a more nuanced observation of light and shadow.
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions
materials
4 items
steps
5 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Yellow Ochre, Vermilion) | Primary palette for creating the grisaille underpainting and subsequent glazes. | — |
| Oil of Copavia (or modern stand oil/walnut oil) | Medium for the first and second paintings, as recommended by Reynolds for glazing techniques. | Stand oil or refined walnut oil |
| Varnish | Mixed with oil for later glazing stages to increase transparency and depth. | Dammar varnish or synthetic resin varnish |
| Canvas or Panel | Support for the oil painting. | Linen canvas primed with gesso |
preparation
surface prep
The surface should be prepared to accept oil glazes. While Marquet’s specific ground preparation for *Le Havre* is not detailed in the sources, the technique of glazing and scumbling described in Source 1 requires a dry, stable ground. A traditional white or neutral grey gesso ground is appropriate for Post-Impressionist works to allow for the full range of tonal contrast.
underdrawing
Marquet’s drawings are known for their linear precision, but in his oil paintings, he often integrated the drawing into the paint application. There is no specific source describing the underdrawing for *Le Havre*, so it is likely that he used a light sketch or directly painted the initial forms, consistent with the Impressionist practice of working directly from nature.
underpainting
The technique of creating a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) is strongly supported by Source 1, which describes extracting red and yellow colors to leave a neutral base. This method allows for the subsequent application of transparent glazes. Marquet’s shift toward a more impressionist style in 1911 suggests a move away from the flat color fields of Fauvism toward a more structured tonal approach, making a grisaille underpainting a plausible and historically grounded technique for this period.
color palette
Ultramarine
Pure ultramarine blue
Part of the initial black/blue/white grisaille underpainting, as per Reynolds’ method cited in Source 1.
White
Lead white or zinc white
Creating highlights and mixing with ultramarine/black for the grisaille.
Black
Ivory black or lamp black
Establishing shadows and depth in the grisaille underpainting.
Yellow Ochre/Vermilion
Yellow and red earth tones
Applied as transparent glazes over the dry grisaille to introduce warmth and local color, as described in Source 1.
composition
Marquet’s cityscapes often feature a balanced composition with a strong horizon line, emphasizing the relationship between the built environment and the sky/water. While specific compositional details of *Le Havre* are not in the sources, Marquet’s general practice involved simplifying forms to capture the essential structure of the scene. The composition likely relies on the contrast between the vertical elements of the buildings and the horizontal expanse of the water and sky, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere.
step by step
underpainting→drying→refining→glazing→scumbling
underpainting
step 01
Create a grisaille underpainting using only black, ultramarine, and white. This establishes the tonal values of the composition without color.
Tip — Focus on the contrast between light and shadow, ignoring local color for now.
Grisaille
drying
step 02
Allow the grisaille to dry completely. This is crucial for the subsequent glazing technique.
Tip — Ensure the surface is fully dry to prevent mixing with the glazes.
Drying
refining
step 05
Refine the composition by adjusting the contrast and harmony of colors, paying attention to the simultaneous contrast of colors.
Tip — Be aware that adjacent colors will influence each other’s appearance.
Simultaneous Contrast
glazing
step 03
Apply transparent glazes of yellow and red tones over the grisaille. Use oil of copavia as a medium initially.
Tip — Apply thin, transparent layers to build up color intensity and depth.
Glazing
scumbling
step 04
Use scumbling (semi-opaque painting) to adjust tones and create atmospheric effects, particularly in the sky and water.
Tip — Scumbling over darker grounds can create a grey bloom, useful for atmospheric haze.
Scumbling
critical techniques
Glazing and Scumbling
Used to build up color and atmosphere over a monochrome underpainting. Glazing adds transparency and depth, while scumbling creates semi-opaque effects and atmospheric haze.
Simultaneous Contrast
Understanding how adjacent colors influence each other is crucial for harmonizing the composition and achieving the desired atmospheric effect.
common pitfalls
- →Applying glazes before the underpainting is completely dry, which can lead to muddiness.
- →Ignoring the effects of simultaneous contrast, leading to unharmonious color relationships.
- →Overworking the paint, losing the freshness and spontaneity characteristic of Marquet’s style.
what the sources don't tell us
Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.
- ·Specific visual details of *Le Havre* (e.g., exact arrangement of buildings, ships, or figures) are not described in the sources.
- ·Marquet’s specific brushwork and stroke direction for this painting are not detailed.
- ·The exact proportions and dimensions of the painting are not provided.
grounded in
The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.
The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Underpainting, glazing, and scumbling techniques.
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 6. Put beside each other two flat tints... — applied to Understanding color harmony and simultaneous contrast.
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia bio — Albert Marquet↗
- part 1 — applied to Contextualizing Marquet’s style transition from Fauvism to Impressionism.
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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