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This claustrophobic depiction of boats in a crowded harbour is a classic symbol of exile. It was painted during the artist’s brief stay in Denmark after he fled Nazi-Germany in 1934. Despite the traumatic experience of flight, it is full of energy and colour. Drawing on the techniques of German Expressionism, Bloch pares down form into simple shapes, conveying emotion through the use of heightened colour. The compression of the perspective into a single, suffocating plane also creates a distinct uneasiness. Bloch was largely self-taught as a painter. He held his first solo exhibition in Berlin in 1911, travelled to Paris and Spain, then returned to Berlin to co-found a painting school. After Denmark, Bloch settled in London, opening a second painting school until his internment from 1940 to 1941.