Jean-Baptiste Degreef (1852–94)
Vue de l’Escaut (View of the Scheldt), n.d.

Oil on canvas
McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College, Gift of Charles Hack and the Hearn Family Trust

Jeffery Howe
Professor Emeritus, Art History

The monumental Gothic cathedral and bustling commercial docks of Antwerp are far in the distance, across the Scheldt River. Degreef has focused on a muddy dock with small boats. A couple sheltered by an umbrella strolls in the foreground at the right in this scene of realistic ordinariness. The muted atmosphere is subtle but richly colored, and the moisture-laden air is luminous.