Emile Claus

Acquired by the family of the present owners in the early 20th century, probably from the artist; thence by descent

Possibly, Brussels, Musée moderne, La Libre Esthétique. Dix-neuvième exposition, 1912, no. 66 (as Meules; août, midi)

The canvas is unlined, with the artist's dating and signature visible on the reverse. Ultra-violet light reveals no visible signs of retouching. There are two faint superficial vertical abrasions at the centre of the upper edge. This work is otherwise in very good original condition, the artist's impasto well preserved, and its appearance could be further enhanced if desired with a light professional clean. Presented in a decorative gilt frame, with a nameplate.
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Unseen in public for decades, Meule de foin is both a significant rediscovery and a dazzling example of Claus’ Luministe style. The present work ranks among the artist’s most successful tributes to Claude Monet, whose work Claus had particularly admired during his 1889 stay in Paris, when he described Monet’s exhibition at Boussod-Valadon that year as a 'véritable régal'. It is likely that Claus would have had first-hand familiarity with Monet’s celebrated Haystack series, whether at the 1904 Libre Esthétique exhibition in Brussels or elsewhere, and the present work powerfully evokes high summer in Flanders just as Monet depicted the landscape near Giverny. Meule de foin is nevertheless alive with Claus’s own distinctively post-impressionistic brushwork, the impasto beautifully preserved.

By 1909, when the present work was painted, Claus had received a wealth of international plaudits and state purchases, and in the previous year he had been honoured with a monograph by his supporter and friend Camille Lemonnier. Works such as Meule de foin definitively mark Claus’ departure from his earlier interest in the painting of rural life influenced by Bastien-Lepage, towards a more personal expression of light and nature.