16 - CONSTANTINOS VOLANAKIS (1837–1907)

CONSTANTINOS VOLANAKIS (1837–1907) Fishing Boats on the Shore signed “Bolanachi” and also signed in Greek (lower left) oil on canvas 71 x 136 cm. (27.95 × 53.54 in.) oil on canvas Footnotes: Provenance Private collection, Athens. This fine example of the artist’s German period—as indicated by its signature in Latin characters—showcases the defining elements of Volanakis’s art. Virtuoso brushwork, immediacy of execution, sense of space, precision of detail, harmony of proportion, and unity of effect come together to create a moving composition of austere beauty. The suggestion of atmosphere and the low horizon—which fully highlights the spaciousness of the sweeping sky—are reminiscent of the great 17th-century Dutch seascape painters, especially Simon de Vlieger and his pupil Jan van de Cappelle. The artist’s depiction of the absolute stillness of the sea, intersected by vertical masts, combines realistic and romantic elements in a harmonious composition and lyrical interpretation of the seascape. He is simply interested in using vertical and horizontal lines to create a metaphysical stillness. That is why he prefers calm seas and spring or summer skies. Rarely do his clouds foreshadow an approaching storm.1 Here, his wealth of detail is an integral part of the whole, while the fishermen in the boats and the moored caiques blend into the surroundings and the natural environment in a romantic conception of art that echoes Claude Lorrain, the great 17th-century master of imaginative landscapes. As noted by Professor M. Vlachos, who authored the artist’s monograph, by the end of the 1860s, Volanakis—well-versed in maritime themes, thoroughly familiar with German studio art, and fully acquainted with the types and styles of Dutch seascape painting—is in constant communion with nature, in a multifaceted relationship from which poetry emerges. His love for and familiarity with small vessels, in particular, produced works of pure lyricism.2 1. See S. Lydakis, “Volanakis, a Pioneer,” Epta Imeres Kathimerini newspaper Sunday supplement, February 22, 1998, p. 14. 2. See M. Vlachos, “Constantinos Volanakis (1837–1907)” in Constantinos Volanakis. The Father of Greek Seascape Painting [in Greek], exhibition catalog, V & M Theocharakis Foundation of Fine Arts and Music, Athens 2018, p. 17 and *The Painter Constantinos Volanakis (1837–1907)* [in Greek], doctoral dissertation, Athens 1974, pp. 105, 109–122. For further information on this lot, please visit Bonhams.com