French Port Scene

Boys was one of a group of English artists working in Paris during the 1820s and 1830s. In this watercolor, he creates a scene of quiet tranquility. With little emphasis on the source of sunlight, the sky is suggested by the subtle gradation of pale blue washes that melt fluidly into the light gray of the rooftops. Fine lines delineate houses, steeples, and city walls. In the foreground, bolder touches of white, red, and deeper blue define the figures ambling along the inlet at lower right. A line of moored boats creates a darker band that separates the sand from the town in the distance (2022).