Henry Moret was part of the Pont-Aven movement, and his meeting, in 1888 with Paul Gauguin influenced his early work. Henry Moret developed a distinctive practice, powerful style that fused elements of Synthetism – large patches of colours, bold lines, and emphasized colouring to evoke feelings – with the more Impressionist, naturalist style to address light and landscapes. An essential member of the Pont-Aven school, Moret remained deeply associated with the area, which he visited for the first time in the 1880s. In 1895, Moret signed a contract with Paul Durand-Ruel, which relieved him from financial worries. Throughout his life, Moret split his time between Paris and Brittany. In 1896, Moret would settle permanently in the small fishing village of Doëlan, near Lorient. The artist was fascinated by the rugged, and windy Coast of Brittany, with its fractured lines, and unique light.

La Rivière Belon is a coastal river located in the South of Finistère region. The river filled by small water streams paves its way through the Brittany countryside, to merge with the Atlantic Ocean in a beautiful and unspoiled manner. This wild nature, and its timeless features, enraptured the artist, far away from the newly industrialized society. In this painting, Moret depicts the estuary of the river Belon, the local fishing boats with their rusty-red sails, returning from their expedition for fishes. The estuary is calm, two boats taking the wind to speed up their return to the land. The artist details a calm sea with the use of turquoise blue, however, muddied with quick brushstrokes of light-green, to suggest its vitality. The red and ochre tones used to depict the Coast contrasts the blue sea while grasping the irregular, and geological characteristics of this landscape. The small hatchings to depict the green land further emphasizes the liveliness of nature, in constant evolution.