Harbour Scene at Stabiae

Statistics

 Size: 24.5 cm high, roughly square  Cut from a larger wall panel in a Stabian house  Date: 60-70 AD  Location: Stabiae, Now in Museo Nazionale, Naples

Background Information

 At first sight, doesn’t seem particularly noteworthy  Closer inspection: intricate detail and an unexpected mastery of technique  Artistic style chosen deliberately for effect  Reminds the viewer of 19 th C French Impressionist style

Impressionist Style

Impressionism

 Style emphasises the overall colour, shape and movement of objects without delineating them in detail.

 Three main characteristics of this style: -Sketchy outlines -Economy of brushstrokes -Hinting at, rather than depicting, realistic details

Composition/Perspective

 Basic structure: diagonal  The eye is led from bottom left to top right  The painting combines linear (ground level) and aerial (bird’s eye) perspective simultaneously  This creates the illusion of depth: objects diminish in scale into the distance & are represented in fainter, hazier tones

Colour

 Surprisingly limited palette  Overall impression: white on purple with blue sea and sky  Also: yellow, pink and brown

What do you see in the painting?

 3 storey building with colonnades  Lighthouse  Fishermen  Rock Key Features      4 statues on columns Inner harbour Arch decorated with a triton blowing a trumpet and octopus (?) Arched gate leading into colonnaded street Arched pier jutting into the harbour