Anne Estelle Rice

The artist's estate and thence by descent

 

STRUCTURE Original canvas. Some undulating to the canvas in the upper corners. PAINT SURFACE In good overall conditon. ULTRAVIOLET UV light reveals scattered retouchings to the sky and further minor scattered spots throughout. FRAME Held in a simple painted plaster frame.
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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 vitality of Rice's drawing and the boldness of her Fauvist colouring expresses the enthusiasm she felt for her subjects and the confidence of her abilities. The Road, Cap d'Antibes bears an acute stylistic similarity to Garden of the Grand Hotel, Cap d'Antibes, (sold at Sotheby's, Gleneagles Hotel, 29 August 2007) a highly expressive and emotive painting which can be tentatively dated to 1924; her husband confirmed they were on holiday in Antibes that year. One can detect traces of impressionistic brushwork in the rendering of the landscape and the use of the delicate language of Cubism operating throughout the work. The confident execution of the palm trees in the upper left section of the work is highly reminiscent of John Duncan Fergusson's rhythmic handling of the same subject matter. Overall the composition is structured by using striking warm and cool oppositions in a highly keyed palette where primary and secondary colours dominate. Rice uses this to great effect, achieving a coursing rhythm throughout the composition - retaining the somewhat violent impact of Fauvism. The rhythm of the brushwork is mirrored compositionally by the road which dominates the left hand side of the painting, drawing the viewer's eye into and beyond the immediate scene. The colour, along with the expressive application of paint and simplified shapes that lie close to the picture plane create the hypnotic sensuality that was so celebrated in the paintings of her mature period.