Henri Le Sidaner

Wally Findlay Galleries, Chicago
Private Collection, Ontario (and sold: Sotheby's, New York, November 13, 1996, lot 177)
Acquired at the above sale

Paris, Galerie Durand-Ruel, Exposition des Rosati, 1936
Paris, Galerie Charpentier, Henri le Sidaner, 1939, no. 16
Paris, Musée Galliéra, 1948, no. 62
Paris, Galerie Lorenceau, Tables et fenêtres par H. le Sidaner, 1952, no. 32

Yann Farineaux-Le Sidaner, Le Sidaner, l'Oeuvre peint et gravé, Paris, 1989, no. 753, illustrated p. 275

This painting is in beautiful condition. The canvas has never been removed from its original stretcher. The canvas is well stretched. The paint layer is stable and has been varnished. Under ultra violet light, no retouches eliminating any paint losses or damages are identifiable. Some of the artist's original paint reads quite strongly, particularly on the sides, bottom and in a few isolated areas across the top. The work is essentially in perfect condition. The above condition report has been prepared by Simon Parkes, an independent conservator who is not an employee of Sotheby's.
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.

The first generation of Impressionist painters was highly influential to Le Sidaner, whose formative years occurred amidst the height of the Impressionist movement. At the age of twenty in 1882, the artist visited the seventh Impressionist Exhibition and became fascinated by the work of Claude Monet. Two years later his enthusiasm for the Impressionist style intensified after attending a retrospective exhibition of Édouard Manet.

Le Sidaner’s work parallels that of Monet in terms of style as well as choice of motif; both artists would reiterate the same subject matter in all seasons and during all times of day in order to isolate the variations of light. The Impressionist technique of using short, fragmented brushstrokes and intensified colors was particularly suited to Le Sidaner’s desire to capture the nuances of natural light.

Le Soleil dans les vitres is a rich depiction of an interior view of Le Sidaner’s home in Versailles. The artist’s careful attention to color, light and shadow build from the panes of glass in the French doors in the center of the composition to the far room, bathed in light from the window at left.

In 1903 Le Sidaner and his family had moved to Versailles where they spent the winters, returning to the town of Gerberoy only in the summers. Versailles soon became the artist’s favorite place of residence, providing him with numerous compositional subjects. In his later years, Le Sidaner would focus heavily on depictions of Versailles that “include intimate views into and out of his own living quarters, in which draftsmanship and composition increasingly give way to painterly effects and to broader and rougher brushwork” (Yann Farinaux-Le Sidaner, op.cit., p. 178).

A favored theme for the artist, the view through a window or door exhibits Le Sidaner’s particular skill in capturing light; the artist communicates a palpable distinction between the cool shadows of the foreground and the warm sunlight of the adjacent room. His son recalls: “[Le Sidaner] frequently represented interiors, in which the sunlight was softened by gently rippling curtains. When my father caught one of these ‘special effects,’ he nodded in my direction and stood there, glazing towards the horizon, impressing on his mind the scene he had just witnessed” (ibid., p. 10).