L'Orient seen from Port Louis at Night
, 1957
53.3 x 71.1 cm (h x w)
Oil on canvas
Private Collection
© Estate of Alfred Cohen 2020
L'Orient is a port on the South-West Brittany coast in France; St Louis is opposite on the harbour mouth. This is an early example of Cohen's move away from the Impressionist treatment of seascape, towards a more contemporary idiom. It shows his awareness of Tachisme, a European version of Abstract Expressionism, used by painters like Nicholas De Staël and Sam Francis, whom he knew in Paris. Note how the grid structures of the industrial landscape are not only reflected in the water but also appear to be projected onto the clouds. This work was exhibited at Cohen's solo show at the Obelisk Gallery, Crawford St, London in 1960.
