c. 1912

Doorway in Tangier

American (active France), 1859 - 1937

This vivid sketch was most likely painted in the spring of 1912, when Tanner spent three months in Tangier, Morocco. He made numerous small oil sketches that he brought back to his studio in France, where he developed them into larger paintings on canvas. These Moroccan street scenes, such as the one seen here, represent a departure from Tanner's usual focus on religious subjects and demonstrate his growing interest in bright color harmonies and richly textured and luminous layers of paint.