Pierre-Auguste Renoir

G. Hazard, Paris (and sold: Galerie Georges Petit, December 1-3, 1919, lot 209)
Sam Salz, New York
James & Helen K. Copley, La Jolla
Thence by descent

Buenos Aires, Wildenstein Arte SA, Renoir, 1947, no. 15

Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Renoir, Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles, vol. I, Paris 2007, no. 79, illustrated p. 161 (dated circa 1866-69)

The work is in good condition with a glue lining. The surface is slightly pressed. Under U.V, some scattered minor strokes of inpainting are visible in the tree branches in the upper right, near the center right edge and one spot at the upper left. These are relatively minor and outside the center of the image; otherwise fine.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Painted in 1872, L'Allée couverte is a wonderfully atmospheric landscape executed during Renoir's classic Impressionist period. It depicts a winding pathway of large imposing trees covered in luxuriant leaves, fluttering in the breeze and creating that most desirable of Impressionist effects, dappled sunlight. Images of forests and trees have long been associated with notions of mystery and magic, and the receding path creates this very effect in its suggestion of the unknown. There is an intimation of two figures on the path but their forms seems to melt into their surroundings, so gestural is the handling of the paint. Whether they are there or not matters very little, for the main subject of this work is the ambience of a particular place at particular moment in time. It exemplifies Renoir’s extraordinary sensitivity to the nuances of atmosphere, to the most subtle and fleeting effects of light and climate. The energetic staccato brushwork nods to the Impressionist desire to paint transitory moments in time with a suitably spontaneous and gestural handling of the medium. The nuanced use of white makes for a beautifully varied and textured palette of verdant greens, just as lush on the floor of the path as in the fluttering leaves above.

The present work is testament to Renoir’s delight in painting the natural world in all its splendor. It is an image that celebrates the vitality of nature, the majesty and imposing strength of the solid tree trunks contrasting with the more transitory and delicate character of the leaves. This is a portrait of life, of growth and of fluctuation, which shows an equal appreciation for the beauty of both light and darkness. The path itself recedes into shadows, but a quick glance upwards reveals sections of a boundless blue sky beyond.