A Mediterranean Inlet By Moonlight
1748
Claude-Joseph Vernet was the ultimate master of mood lighting long before photography existed. In this dramatic seascape, a full moon bursts through heavy clouds, casting a silvery glow over fishermen hauling nets and ships resting in the harbor. Vernet was so famous for his ability to capture the atmosphere of the sea that King Louis XV commissioned him to paint all the major ports of France. He reportedly tied himself to the mast of a ship during a storm just to experience the terror of the waves firsthand!
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