Harbour Scene at Sunset, 1639

Claude Gellée (1602-1682) is famous for his landscape paintings. Port de mer au soleil couchant is an idealized vision, invented by the artist but inspired by the studies he completed during his travels in Italy, where he settled in Rome.
The light gives all its depth to the scene. This atmospheric perspective is also accentuated by a backlight in the foreground, which catches the eye. The eye is drawn to the right by the dark mass of the boats before following the succession of buildings to the left, which diffuse into the light, towards the horizon and then the sun.
Gelée's work is full of details, small characters which provide life in his paintings. Even though some of his work depicts Biblical or mythological subjects, these are always granted minor positions in the composition.