Maurice de Vlaminck

Galerie Cazeau-Béraudière, Paris
Private Collection, France
Acquired by the present owner in February 2004

This painting is not lined; it has been restretched onto a new stretcher. The canvas is taught and the paint layer is stable. It has been varnished, perhaps a little strongly, and it is a consideration to remove this varnish and replace it with a less shiny finish. In a previous cleaning the paint layer was most likely slightly abraded. There are retouches which are clearly visible under ultraviolet light addressing this abrasion in the center of the left side, in a few spots in the darker colors of the buildings, around the poplar trees in the center of the right side and here and there elsewhere. While these retouches have been very nicely applied and the picture looks well as is, it still has a slightly abraded paint layer. It is also possible to consider using a slightly less shiny finish which could be applied on top of the current varnish. The picture is also ready to be hung as is, if the varnish is felt to be attractive. This condition report has been kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, New York. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the catalogue illustration.
"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.
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In the present work, Vlaminck's muted palette provides a startling contrast to the bold, primary colours of his Fauvist work, and reveals a more subtle and meditative approach to landscape painting. Typically 'Cézannesque' motifs in this work include the use of slender trees to provide compositional balance to the left of the canvas, and the creation of volume and depth through the angular, faceted shapes of the roofs of the houses in the foreground.

At first glance, the austere and tender beauty of Cézanne's evocations of his native landscape would seem to be diametrically opposed to Vlaminck's fauve painting. Yet towards the end of the first decade of the century there is an undeniable continuity with Vlaminck's early experiments with colour. At the centre of Cézanne's landscapes lay a desire to render nature and volume through colour, 'To read nature is to see it... by means of colour patches, following upon each other to a law of harmony. Nature's broad colouration is thus analysed by modulations. To paint is to record one's sensations of colour' (quoted in Cézanne in Provence (exhibition catalogue), Washington, 2006, p. 23). Vlaminck's decision to study the work of the master of Aix-en-Provence was motivated by a desire to achieve a more measured and mature approach to his central preoccupation: the artistic possibilities of colour and space.