Maurice de Vlaminck

Alex Maguy, Paris
Mr. and Mrs. Kirk Douglas, Beverly Hills
Sale:  Sotheby's, London, July 2, 1969, lot 73
O'Hana Gallery, London
Private Collection, New York (acquired from the above circa 1970)

Very good condition. Original canvas. Suface is slightly dirty. Under UV light, some areas of thicker impasto fluoresce but appear to be original.
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In 1907 Vlaminck saw a retrospective of Cézanne's work, which proved to be an event that changed the course of his career. The exhibition, at the Salone d'Automne, in Paris, was the catalyst that inspired the evolution of Vlaminck's style, redirecting the artist from Fauvism toward a focus on geometric landscapes, achieved through an understanding of form and design. La ferme et les peupliers exemplifies Vlaminck's adoption of Cézanne's signature diagonal brushstrokes, which create movement and help to unify the landscape (see Fig. 2). While the present work is a testament to Vlaminck's artistic genius, it also displays his loyalty to traditional Fauvist techniques. The Fauves practiced a ground-breaking painting style that consisted of applying brightly-colored paint from the tube directly onto the canvas. This innovative technique was a fast, instinctual and natural translation of the artist's vision.

Painted in 1910, La ferme et les peupliers boasts a landscape of cohesive geometric shapes and a natural and harmonious color palette, evoking the style of Cézanne. The present work is a quintessential example of Vlaminck's attempt to merge his revolutionary style with a new consideration for composition and structure. The remnants of this stylistic practice are subtly weaved into the background of La ferme et les peupliers: a vivid red appears in the middle left of the painting, while thick green paint highlights the central poplar tree, hinting at the artist's Fauvist roots. Throughout the foreground, bright orange punctuates the vegetation. La ferme et les peupliers represents the crucial moment in Vlaminck's career during which he merged his Fauvist style with geometry to create this vivid interpretation of nature.

Figure 1 Maurice de Vlaminck circa 1910
Figure 2 Paul Cézanne  Maisons en Provence - La Vallée de Raiux Pres de L'Estaque, circa 1879-1882, oil on canvas