
Description
Title: Fishing Boats in Saint Servan Harbour with Lighthouse by Fanch Lel 1999 by Fanch Lel
Signed: Lower right corner Inscribed verso: "Marée Basse à Solidor, St. Servan" and signed/dated "Fanch Lel 99"
Size: 16.5 x 22.5 inches (height x width) Oil painting on board, unframed Condition: Good overall condition. Minor surface wear and edge scuffs consistent with age.
Provenance: All the paintings we have for sale by this artist have come from the artists estate and have had no previous owners at all.
Description: Painted in 1999, this moody and atmospheric harbour scene by French artist Fanch Lel captures fishing boats at low tide in Saint-Servan, a historic coastal district of Saint-Malo in Brittany. The inscription verso—“Marée Basse à Solidor, St. Servan”—places the setting near the Tour Solidor, a medieval tower overlooking the mouth of the Rance river and long associated with maritime life. Rendered in a muted palette of greys, blues, and lavender tones, the scene feels softened by fog or fading light. Three boats dominate the foreground, their hulls reflecting abstractly in the still water, while the lighthouse and surrounding harbour structures dissolve into the vertical rhythm of Lel’s brushwork. The entire piece has a dreamlike, almost lyrical quality, achieved through a blend of impasto and layering that suggests movement, moisture, and quiet. This painting stands out within Lel’s oeuvre for its restrained palette and contemporary abstraction. It captures both the architectural presence of the Solidor region and the tranquil melancholy of tide-waiting boats. Saint-Servan, part of the Saint-Malo commune, is known for its maritime history and picturesque shoreline—a popular subject for 20th-century French painters. Ideal for collectors drawn to modernist marine art, abstract seascapes, or tonal, meditative pieces, this work brings both historic resonance and artistic sensitivity. Its palette works beautifully in coastal, minimalist, or neutral-toned interiors.
Reserve: $567.00
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Buyer's Premium
20%
Fanch Lel; Fishing Boats in Saint Servan Harbour with Lighthouse by Fanch Lel 1999, 1999
$567.00
$800
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