Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Roland Leten, Ghent (acquired by 1953)
Private Collection (sale: Sotheby's, London, 6th December 1983, lot 21)
Waddington Galleries, London (purchased at the above sale)
Galerie Salis, Salzburg
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1984

Ghent, Musée des Beaux-Arts, 1953

Ambroise Vollard, Tableaux, Pastels et Dessins de Pierre Auguste Renoir, Paris, 1989, vol. I, no. 415, illustrated p. 104 (as part of a larger canvas)
Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Renoir Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles 1895-1902, Paris, 2010, no. 1999, illustrated p. 171

The canvas is lined. UV examination reveals a fine vertical line of retouching running from the upper right edge to the second small bush on the centre right and a minor spot of retouching towards the upper right edge. The colours are fresh and this work is in overall good condition.
"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."

At the turn of the century Renoir’s style continued to develop as it had during the previous decade in an integration of Classicism and Impressionism. In an attempt to improve his arthritis, he spent more and more time in the south of France. But whilst his physical deterioration was certainly the impetus for this change of climate, Renoir was also drawn to an Arcadian ideal of Mediterranean classicism in his art. Witnessed most emphatically in The Bathers (1918-19, Musée d'Orsay, Paris), the beginnings of this warmth and depth of nature can be clearly felt in this landscape. A lone figure wonders a winding path, anchoring an otherwise vibrant and busy scene to a tiny but tangible form. Expressive brushstrokes and colour abound, and Renoir manages to commit real movement to the path itself, whose next bend is muddied out of sight.

Originally part of a slightly larger canvas (titled as fragment in the Wildenstein archives), this landscape is likely to be one of the very first Paysages Renoir painted around Cagnes; though he would end up settling there in 1908, 1898 marks his very first visit to the area. With its excitable brushstrokes, this view stands as a visibly early and fresh example of Renoir's southern landscapes. Though he painted largely within the confines of houses and their grounds, he would often venture out to the surrounding countryside. On these occasions, he would take a chauffeur, often returning to the same spot several times to paint it from different angles. Far away from the demands of portraiture, these informal landscapes offered Renoir the freedom to improvise and experiment outside the constraints of conventional notions of composition and finish. Speaking on the south more generally, and the feeling it evoked within him, Renoir reported that ‘In this marvellous country, it seems as if misfortune cannot befall one; one is cosseted by the atmosphere’ (Renoir (exhibition catalogue), Hayward Gallery, London, 1985-86, p. 268).