Departure of Fishing Boats, Yport

Maxime Maufra was a Breton painter closely associated with the Post-Impressionist circle around Gauguin and Paul Sérusier at Pont-Aven, yet his primary subject remained the sea and maritime life of Normandy and Brittany. This 1900 painting of fishing boats departing from Yport, a small village on the Normandy chalk coast, captures a moment of quiet industry that was central to coastal French life. Yport attracted a number of painters around 1900 drawn by its dramatic cliffs and active fishing community. Maufra's seascapes combine the chromatic intensity he absorbed from Gauguin's circle with a robust, northern sea atmosphere that remained distinctly his own.

Fishing boats are rendered in confident, blocky silhouettes against a choppy grey-green sea. The palette is restrained — navy, grey, and off-white — with colour applied in broad, directional strokes that suggest movement and wind. Sky and sea share similar tonality, unifying the composition.