Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Ambroise Vollard, Paris (acquired directly from the artist before 1919)
Lucien Lefebvre-Foinet, Paris
M. Alberto Phelps, Caracas (acquired circa 1964)
Thence by descent

Ambroise Vollard, Tableaux, pastels et dessins de Pierre-Auguste Renoir, vol. II, Paris, 1918, illustrated p. 43
Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Renoir, Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles, vol. II, Paris, 2009, no. 759, illustrated p. 47

The canvas has been relined. There is rubbing and frame abrasion to the perimeter of the canvas. There is fine stable craquelure to the tree foliage throughout the middle ground. There is minor craquelure scattered throughout the center of the sky. When examined under UV light, there are fine strokes of retouching to the craquelure in the sky and in the tree foliage and some cosmetic retouching to the perimeter. The painting 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.
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Painted in 1885, Paysage du Midi is an evocative and serene vision which embodies the fresh spontaneity of Renoir’s plein-air painting. The end of the nineteenth century was a particularly prosperous time for the artist. His newfound recognition as an Impressionist painter and the support of dealer Durand-Ruel offered Renoir financial security for the first time in his career, enabling him to explore new areas of creative interest. Renoir sought to move beyond portraiture and began to explore painting en plein-air, finding the freshness of natural light preferable to that of his studio. Paysage du Midi is a quintessential example of Renoir’s late countryside scenes, which are characterized by vibrant colors and swift brushstrokes that express both a visceral technique and idyllic environment. The present work in particular illustrates Renoir’s avant-garde style—the quick slashes in his brushstroke—which are informal yet carefully composed of shades of green and hints of yellow.

Renoir inspired many of his contemporaries; it was his exuberance that caught the attention of artists like Vincent van Gogh, who admired so much of Renoir’s technique. Writing to his brother Théo in 1885, Vincent had said that Renoir reminded him that “there is life in every pencil stroke," which underscores a stimulating dialogue regarding technique  and composition between the two painters (quoted in Keith Wheldon, Renoir and His Art, New York, 1975, p. 120). Renoir was intent on depicting nature in a dream-like setting while focusing on the relationship between a place and its surrounding environment. He painted specifically with the “solidity, fullness, richness, reality, dignity, depth and majesty, all of which are embodied in compositions characterized by dynamic relations between solid volumes of color and units of colorful space” (Albert C. Barnes, The Art of Renoir, Philadelphia, 1935, p. 115).