Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Maurice Gangnat, Cagnes
Private Collection (by descent from the above; sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, Collection Maurice Gangnat, 24th & 25th June 1925, lot 8, illustrated)
Jules Strauss, Paris
Private Collection, London (sale: Sotheby's, London, 2nd July 1974, lot 44)
Alphonse Morhange
Sale: Christie's, London, 1st July 1975, lot 8
Private Collection, Switzerland (acquired by circa 1990)

London, Royal Academy, Landscape in French Art, 1949-50, no. 273

The canvas is not lined. There is an opaque varnish layer preventing the UV light from fully penetrating. There appear to be no signs of retouching visible under UV light. There are a few very minor frame abrasions to the extreme lower edge. This work appears to be in very good condition. Colour: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue, although the colours are richer and the houses are more yellow in the original.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present work belonged to Maurice Gangnat, a collector with an extreme fondness for Renoir's paintings, in particular his freely-composed southern landscapes and figure studies. From the time Gangnat bought his first Renoir painting in 1905 until the artist's death, the collector had amassed over 150 of Renoir's works, while cultivating a strong friendship with the artist. After his death, a sale at Drouot was organised in 1925 offering 160 of the collector's works amongst which was Terrasse à Cagnes, lot 8 of the sale.

Maurice Gangnat regularly visited the artist at La Villa des Collettes in the Southern village of Cagnes, where the present work was painted. Renoir settled in this Villa in 1907 and stayed  there until his death. This Provencal setting was to become an endless source of inspiration for the artist. Unlike his companion Monet, Renoir was not interested in topography and instead focused on the relationship between a place and its surrounding atmosphere.

Time is suspended in Terrasse à Cagnes. The bright colours and contrasts in the composition liberate the scene from the canvas. The free-flowing brushstrokes are informal yet carefully composed, mimicking Renoir's understanding of nature as boundless. Glassy hues of pink, purple and rich tonalities of green in the foliage embraces the bright houses of the old town set in the background, creating an ethereal atmosphere. The blouse of the woman knitting against the brick terrace provides a pivotal accent of red. The vibrant palette of her skirt and the yellow touches in the foliage recreate the dappled sunlight and enliven the scene.

The critic, J. F. Schnerb who had just discovered Renoir's southern landscapes at a 1908 Durand-Ruel exhibition, noted 'M. Renoir more and more loves the canvas being full and sonorous. Every corner in his landscapes offers a relationship of colours and values chosen with a view to the embellishment of the surface'. The provencal setting brought Renoir 'to transpose the themes furnished by nature into the most sonorous colour range and to assemble the largest possible number of elements in the canvas, like a musician who ceaselessly adds new elements to his orchestra' (quoted in John House, Renoir, New York, 1985, p. 277).