The Harbor at Lorient

Berthe Morisot

Oil on canvas

National Gallery of Art

Painted during the summer of 1869, The Harbor at Lorient depicts Morisot's sister Edma seated on a quay parapet under a white parasol, overlooking the outer port of Lorient in Brittany, France. Fishing boats with dark hulls and wooden masts are moored along the quays, and the sky and clouds are reflected in the silvery water, while the opposite bank is lined with trees and pale buildings rendered in loose, atmospheric strokes. The scene exemplifies Morisot's emerging Impressionist style — her characteristic use of fluid brushwork, luminous whites speckled with pink and mauve, and the integration of a female figure into a vaporous landscape. One of the most admired works of her early career, it signals Morisot's confident command of plein-air painting and her ability to capture transient effects of light and atmosphere.