Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Sale: Hôtel Rameau, Versailles, June 3, 1970, lot 75
Sale: Christie’s, London, December 6, 1977, lot 17
Walter Klinkhoff Gallery, Montreal
Roy Fraser Elliott, Toronto
A gift from the estate of the above in 2005

Ambroise Vollard, Tableaux, pastels et dessins de Pierre-Auguste Renoir, vol. II, Paris, 1918, illustrated p. 54
Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Renoir, Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles, vol. IV, Paris, 2012, no. 3047, illustrated p. 214

This work is in very condition. The canvas is lined. There are three pinhead size losses in the lower left quadrant. There is some thinning of paint in the upper left and lower left corners. Under UV light: there are no apparent apparent areas which fluoresce.
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.

Les Maisons rouges—Paysage de Cagnes embodies the fresh spontaneity of Renoir’s mature landscapes. After moving to the south of France in 1902, Renoir ventured beyond conveying narratives through portraiture and increasingly painted en plein-air, finding inspiration in the freshness of natural light. Far away from the demands of portraiture, painting informal landscapes offered Renoir the freedom to improvise and experiment outside the constraints of conventional notions of composition and finish.

Through quick, impasto brushstrokes, Renoir imbued Paysage de Cagnes with a sense of movement and dynamism that captures the ephemeral moment of wind rustling the trees. In this way, his desire for “people to feel that neither my figures nor my trees are flat” is certainly fulfilled in this impressive landscape (quoted in Renoir (exhibition catalogue), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Hayward Gallery, London & Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Paris, 1985, p. 278).

Fig. 1 Renoir seated at home circa 1910.