Francis Picabia

Sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 1926, lot 77
Galerie Philippe Samuel, Paris
Acquired from the above by the present owner by 1986

Nîmes, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Francis Picabia, 1986, no. 60, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Maria Lluïsa Borràs, Picabia, Barcelona, 1985, no. 395, fig. 543, illustrated p. 300

The canvas is lined. There are areas of retouching, mainly to the upper left and right corners and in the blue pigments in the lower left and right corners. There are further small scattered spots of retouching across the paint surface. All retouchings are visible under UV light. Apart from some minor craquelure mainly in the pale pigments in the upper areas of the composition, this work is in good condition. Colours: Fairly accurate although the colours are overall deeper and richer in the original and the blues are stronger.
"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."

La Tartane, painted in 1925, belongs to Picabia's exquisite Mediterranean period.  Breaking away from the Dada movement in 1921, Picabia settled in Mougins in the South of France, where he built his own house, baptising it the Château de mai.  An idyllic, Arcadian setting for his aesthetic research and the site of his blossoming relationship with Germaine Everling, the Château de mai would see the advent of a new period of creative inspiration for Picabia, symbolised by a strong desire to identify life with art.

In this composition in which 'lines and signs free themselves from colour to such an extent that they acquire a total independence' (Maria Lluïsa Borràs, Picabia, Paris, 1985, p. 290), the artist presents a jigsaw of colourful forms and strong matte planes centred around the imposing silhouette of La Tartane, a typical Mediterranean fishing boat.  The use of ripolin paint as medium replaces the traditional use of pure oil or gouache in order to marry with the subject matter: the canvas is covered with the same substance that enshrouds the hull of the boat itself.  The sea, with its calm, serene waves, itself embodies the artist's maturation with its deep blue recalling René Magritte's La Condition humaine (1935). Bathed in warm, glistening light, it crystallises the painter's emotions.  The formal simplicity and graphic purity of the lines, which convey the very essence of form, encourage us to focus on the sensuous power of the colours and the profound resonance of the contrasts which instill a musical rhythm in the composition. Very different from Pierre Loti's dark, threatening marine visions, Picabia presents a jubilant image inspired by the joy of painting. The profusion of colours reminds us that 'The painter is currently in search of a genre, a blue and pink genre, or pink and blue, red and black, black and red' (Francis Picabia, quoted in Picabia et la Côte d'Azur (exhibition catalogue), Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain, Nice, 1991). 

An atypical, unique work, La Tartane distinguishes itself from the contemporary Monstres series in order to pave its own artistic path, transformed by a more serene inspiration, soothed by the light and the warmth of the Mediterranean.  Representing a pause, a lull, in Picabia's oeuvre, it appears to be the most poignant reflection of his 'tranquil life in the Midi, his love for the sun and the sea' (William Camfield, Francis Picabia, Milan, 1972, p. 28).

Fig. 1, Francis Picabia and a friend on a boat in Cannes, 1931