The vantage point

We are on the north shore of the port, in the area of the rue du Soleil and a little higher up. We are looking towards the southwest.

This watercolor represents roofs of houses of the rue du Soleil in the foreground.Behind this “the Town” is seen above the Quays Jean Moulin and Forgas.

Behind this “la Ville” is seen above the Quays Jean Moulin and Forgas.

Note: to paint his work, the artist had to be at the top of a staircase a little above where we are.

In the background the hills which overlook Port-Vendres are represented . It was cultivated land at the time, which is now replaced by many houses and apartment buildings.

Pictorial analysis

1. “The composition shows a view of Port Vendres from above the rue du Soleil, looking at the Quai du Commerce and the Quai Pierre Forgas. The four-story Hôtel du Commerce, with its street awning, can be picked out on the left. The horizontally-banded composition take in the cultivated terraces, where Mackintosh was seated, the rooftops of Rue du Soleil, the harbour, the quays, and the hills beyond”. Translated from the English with the kind permission of the author, Professor Pamela Robertson – University of Glasgow
2. This very accomplished watercolor does not include a sky. The painter makes us enter into his composition by a foreground that he presents “as a primer”, (fragment of a staircase) then uses a classical perspective (the line of the platform running to the left) to give the space. He then brings us back his image when we look at the hills in the upper part of the painting.

The colorful organization comes with warm colors (roof oranges, yellows and browns) accompanied by hillside greens. Only a few colors oppose this (the cold blue of the railings and storefront in the center of the image). The white surfaces of the houses accompanied by the small rectangles of the shutters and windows present a beautiful graphic counterpoint to the whole.

Historical guideline

At the time, the Quay Pierre Forgas was the main quay of Port-Vendres, full of life, where cargo ships and liners from various origins docked. Nowadays this wharf has been fitted out to receive mainly, small pleasure boats and also larger pleasure boats.

The buildings bordering this wharf were used as warehouses. Now they have mainly become apartment buildings, banks and restaurants.

How to get there