Skip to main contentProvenanceThe artist
Charles Prendergast, 1924 (brother of artist)
Mrs. Charles Prendergast, 1948 (wife of Charles Prendergast)
Kraushaar Galleries, New York, New York
John Pierce, 1956
Mary A. Pierce (granddaughter of John Pierce)
Jules Brassner, New York, New York
Knoedler & Company, New York, New York, 1981
Steven Juvelis, Lynn, Massachusetts, 1983 (dealer)
Martin Kodner, New York, New York, 1983 (dealer)
W. C. Foxley, 1983
Spanierman Gallery, New York, New York, 1987
HOM Gallery, Washington, D.C.
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1989
Exhibition HistoryPublished References
Maurice Brazil Prendergast
(American, 1858–1924)
Entrance to the Harbor
c. 1907
Oil on panel
Image: 5 3/4 x 8 7/8 in. (14.6 x 22.5 cm)
Frame: 10 15/16 x 14 3/16 in. (27.8 x 36.0 cm)
Frame: 10 15/16 x 14 3/16 in. (27.8 x 36.0 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object number1989.23
SignedLower left in red: MBP; lower right in red: MBP
InterpretationRendered in bold strokes of paint that mimic the rugged contours of piled rocks, the shoreline around the entrance to the harbor of St. Malo, on France's northwestern coast, provides the framework for Maurice Prendergast's quickly sketched small painting Entrance to the Harbor. At right, dashes of bright color depict the clothing of spectators gathered on the shore to look out to sea, where a boat in full sail moves briskly in windy conditions, suggested by the roiling waves and fleecy fair-weather clouds above. What appears to be one of the fortified islands outside the harbor is visible in the distance beyond.
In 1907, Prendergast visited France, spending July and August painting at St. Malo, the most fashionable resort in the coastal province of Brittany. Its bustling harbor and beaches, picturesque ramparts, and quays crowded with holiday-makers in bright summer wear offered abundant subjects that drew many artists. Prendergast painted the town's vibrant shoreline in numerous oil and watercolor images, including St. Malo (TF 1999.121).
Before visiting St. Malo, Prendergast attended several important exhibitions in Paris, including two devoted to French artist Paul Cézanne (1839–1906) who had recently died. Profoundly influenced by Cézanne's use of powerful, expressive brushstrokes and underlying geometric structure in his compositions, Prendergast began to turn more seriously to oil painting in the following years. This small panel painting reflects the technique of the pochade, a quickly made on-site sketch, which he may have learned from the Canadian painter James Wilson Morrice (1865–1924).
Entrance to the Harbor is composed in broad masses enlivened by the playful energy of brushwork that displays Prendergast's penchant for curved strokes and rounded forms. In contrast to the artist's typical preoccupation with crowds of brightly clad people at leisure, in this painting human presence is minimized, while the buoyant atmosphere of a breezy summer day is almost tangible. A similar shoreline setting appears in an earlier monotype—interestingly, almost twice as large as this oil sketch—titled Summer Day (TF 1992.109), which focuses on figures rather than landscape.
In 1907, Prendergast visited France, spending July and August painting at St. Malo, the most fashionable resort in the coastal province of Brittany. Its bustling harbor and beaches, picturesque ramparts, and quays crowded with holiday-makers in bright summer wear offered abundant subjects that drew many artists. Prendergast painted the town's vibrant shoreline in numerous oil and watercolor images, including St. Malo (TF 1999.121).
Before visiting St. Malo, Prendergast attended several important exhibitions in Paris, including two devoted to French artist Paul Cézanne (1839–1906) who had recently died. Profoundly influenced by Cézanne's use of powerful, expressive brushstrokes and underlying geometric structure in his compositions, Prendergast began to turn more seriously to oil painting in the following years. This small panel painting reflects the technique of the pochade, a quickly made on-site sketch, which he may have learned from the Canadian painter James Wilson Morrice (1865–1924).
Entrance to the Harbor is composed in broad masses enlivened by the playful energy of brushwork that displays Prendergast's penchant for curved strokes and rounded forms. In contrast to the artist's typical preoccupation with crowds of brightly clad people at leisure, in this painting human presence is minimized, while the buoyant atmosphere of a breezy summer day is almost tangible. A similar shoreline setting appears in an earlier monotype—interestingly, almost twice as large as this oil sketch—titled Summer Day (TF 1992.109), which focuses on figures rather than landscape.
Charles Prendergast, 1924 (brother of artist)
Mrs. Charles Prendergast, 1948 (wife of Charles Prendergast)
Kraushaar Galleries, New York, New York
John Pierce, 1956
Mary A. Pierce (granddaughter of John Pierce)
Jules Brassner, New York, New York
Knoedler & Company, New York, New York, 1981
Steven Juvelis, Lynn, Massachusetts, 1983 (dealer)
Martin Kodner, New York, New York, 1983 (dealer)
W. C. Foxley, 1983
Spanierman Gallery, New York, New York, 1987
HOM Gallery, Washington, D.C.
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1989
Exhibition History
Studied Abroad: Painted Impressions from the Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, September 6, 2003–April 4, 2004.
Clark, Carol, Nancy Mowll Mathews and Gwendolyn Owens. Maurice Brazil Prendergast; Charles Prendergast: A Catalogue Raisonné. Munich, Germany and Williamstown, Massachusetts: Prestel-Verlag and The President and Trustees of Williams College, 1990. No. 122, p. 239; ill. no. 122, p. 239 (black & white).