Henri Edmond Cross

H. E. Bates, "French Painters IV - Signac and Cross," Apollo, London and New York, May 1952, fig. III, illustrated p. 136 (titled Pine Trees at St. Tropez)
Isabelle Compin, Henri Edmond Cross, Paris, 1964, no. 149, illustrated p. 249

Executed in a build-up of short, uniform brushstrokes of pastel hues, Un Pin resembles a carefully composed mosaic of shimmering colors.  The tonal variations and juxtapositions in the present work recreate the vibrant, dazzling atmosphere of the Côte d'Azur that became a major source of inspiration for the artist.  Moreover, the present work has a freedom which recalls the expressive colors of the Fauves, working at the same time on coastal subjects elsewhere in France.

While remaining very close to Seurat and Signac, with whom he had founded the Neo-Impressionist group, Cross abandoned their scientific approach to painting, and adapted the pointillist style to his own bolder and more rhythmic method.  Cross replaced their rigid use of dots based on color theories with a more liberated and intuitive style, creating a body of work that celebrates the majestic light of the Mediterranean coast.