Cernak: The Cote D'Azur, Boats in Saint Tropez Harbour C 1930,

A wonderful, atmospheric painting which depicts fishermen un their boats in the harbour of Saint Tropez, bathed in evening light. It is a gentle, tranquil scene that perfectly captures the colours of the Mediterranean. Painted in the manner of the Mediterranean artists, with a paint knife rather than with brushes, it is is actually a work by a Czech artist, Karel "Charles" Cernak.

Born in Pilsen in Bohemia in 1877, Cernak - like so many artists at the turn of the century- came to France and settled in Saint Tropez. He became known for his landscapes of Provence and depictions of the, still unspoilt, Riviera. He particularly loved the harbour of the village of Saint Tropez.

Cernak exhibited in Paris at the Salon des Indpendants from 1929 1931. Our oil on panel, dating from this period, is signed at the lower left and measures 19 x 27 cm. The overall size in its very simple, original wooden frame are 24.5 x 32 cm.