Auguste Herbin

Galerie Neupert, Zurich 
Pieter B. van Voorst van Beest, The Hague 
Private Collection, Belgium
Kunsthandel Rueb, Amsterdam
Private Collection, The Hague
Acquired from the above by the present owner

The Hague, Gallery Pieter B. Van Voorst Van Beest, 1986

Geneviève Claisse, Herbin, Catalogue raisonné de l’œuvre peint, Lausanne, 1993, no. 73, illustrated p. 292

The canvas is lined. UV examination reveals areas of clustered retouching to the sky, predominately to the centre and the two upper corners. There is an area of retouching towards the lower left corner and further scattered spots at the centre and right hand side of the lower part of the composition. There is lovely thick impasto and this work is in overall good condition.
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Painted in the seminal year of 1906, this strikingly composed landscape reveals the growing influence of the Fauves on Auguste Herbin’s work of this period, and is a powerful demonstration of the artist’s remarkable talents as a colourist painter. Between 1906 and 1907, Herbin completely embraced Fauvism, and in March 1907 he exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants alongside André Derain, Maurice de Vlaminck and Georges Braque, and went on to show additional Fauve works at the fifth Salon d'Automne at the Grand Palais in October of that year. The glowing colours which decorate the houses and trees within Paysage reveal these Fauvist tendencies to impressive effect, whilst posing a sharp contrast to the relatively sober, restrained scenes of Lille and Paris which Herbin had executed during the first few years of the Twentieth Century.

Herbin employs an intriguing perspective within Paysage, seemingly placing the viewer at the centre of the lake gazing towards the landscape.  The horizon line delineates the brilliantly painted landscape and its hazy reflection. The blue of the sky is mirrored within the extraordinary calmness of the lake, undisturbed by any surface ripples or turbulence. There is a sense of timelessness to the scene, with the vividly coloured houses which line the water’s edge appearing to be unmarked by any signs of current habitation. Ultimately, in its bold use of colour and arresting composition, Paysage can be seen as a significant example of Herbin’s work of this decade.