- 161
Moïse Kisling
Description
- Moïse Kisling
- Mimosas
- signed Kisling (lower left)
- oil on canvas
Provenance
Obelisk Gallery, London
Sale: Christie's, London, 3rd April 1979, lot 30
Sale: Vente Me Blache, Versailles, June 1979
Private Collection, Europe
Sale: Christie's, New York, 6th November 2013, lot 369
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner
Literature
Catalogue Note
Kisling’s superb utilisation of painterly technique in order to suggest a richness of texture, showcased by the befitting subject matter of mimosas with their bright bursts of yellow, relates to his interest in Old Master still lifes. Jean Kisling, the artist’s son, has noted that: ‘Kisling professed a high conscience of the artist's duties with regard to the perfection of basic drawing, and the quality of subject matter. As a colourist, he did not set a fixed boundary when it came to juggling nuances, contrasts, or the connection between tonalities: he paid great attention to the quality of pigments. I can still hear him say: “Do you find this beautiful?... Yes, but you will see in 300 years! One must paint for posterity. One must also allow for the viewer to read the joy that the painter felt upon the creation of the work”' (Jean Kisling (ed.), Kisling, 1891-1953, Germany, 1995, vol. III, p. 51).