Jean-Baptiste OLIVE (1848-1936). Rocks, bottom of the corniche, Marseille. Oil on canvas, signed lower left. (Visible craquelure.) Height 74 cm; Width: 60 cm. The Calanques massif, which stretches from Marseille to La Ciotat, a unique landscape made up of limestone rocks forming wild, narrow recesses, has always inspired landscape painters, particularly those from Marseille and Provence. Jean-Baptiste Olive, Paul Guigou, Vincent Courdouan and Raphaël Ponson were all keen to depict these spectacular landscapes. At a time when photography was capturing these places on film, the painters were seeking to study the metamorphoses of light and evoke an unspoilt nature, far removed from the urbanisation and industry that were taking root in the landscape. It was a place that Jean-Baptiste Olive was particularly fond of. Here we have another version of the painting in the Musée de Toulon, at a different time of day. Expert : Cabinet MARÉCHAUX