Paul Cézanne

Ambroise Vollard, Paris
Estate of the above
Kende Galleries, New York
Mr & Mrs Paul Tishman, New York (acquired in 1951)
Private Collection, New York (by descent from the above)
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2007

Vienna, Kunstforum Wien & Zurich, Kunsthaus, Cézanne: Finished - Unfinished, 2000, no. 85, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Rome, Complesso del Vittoriano, Cézanne. Il padre dei moderni, 2002, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
The Hague, Gemeentemuseum, Cézanne - Picasso - Mondriaan, 2009-10

Lionello Venturi, ‘Giunte a Cézanne’, in Commentari 2, no. 1, January-March 1951, fig. 54, illustrated p. 48
John Rewald, The Paintings of Paul Cézanne. A Catalogue Raisonné, New York, 1996, vol. I, no. 529, catalogued p. 356; vol. II, no. 529, illustrated p. 171
Richard Verdi, ‘Vienna and Zurich Cézanne’, in The Burlington Magazine, 2000, no. 1168, illustrated pp. 466, 467

The canvas is unlined. Apart from some small spots of retouching in the upper right quadrant, visible under ultra-violet light, this work is in good condition. Colours: In comparison with the printed catalogue illustration, the background is less warm and the colours are stonger and more varied in the original.
"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."

Paysage d’hiver, painted circa 1885, is a wonderfully evocative composition which characterises the significant artistic developments Cézanne made during the 1880s. Emerging from the influence of Pissarro the artist’s style gradually evolved. Embedded deep within the Provençal countryside, with occasional excursions to the Île-de-France and L’Estaque, landscapes became a major part of his work. The compositional arrangement of buildings and trees is rendered here with absolute clarity. The typically earthy palette is enlivened by small patches of bright oranges and subtle blues. Renoir once remarked that, ‘Cézanne has only to place a dab of colour on a canvas for it to be interesting; it's nothing and it's beautiful’ (quoted in G. Rivière, Cézanne, Paris, 1933, p. 19).

Discussing the importance of the present work, and explaining its creative process from the initial compositional design laid out in pencil to the addition of colour, Birgit Schwarz writes: ‘Winter Landscape affords insights into Cézanne’s working methods […]. Cézanne established the colour composition in thin washes of oil, beginning – as can be seen in Winter Landscape – with the central motif, in this case a group of houses behind a wall, with a leafless tree in front. The colour composition was then developed in individual, loosely painted patches. Cézanne avoided filling in the outlines, whether of a wall or the side of a house, with a single, uniform layer of colour, introducing instead many individual notes of colour. Since each of these elements adjoined other areas of colour, every encounter between two tones required precise awareness of their effect on each other’ (B. Schwarz, Cézanne: Finished - Unfinished (exhibition catalogue), op. cit., p. 291).