AUGUSTE HERBIN | Peupliers près d'un lac

Gustav Delbanco, London
Private Collection (acquired from the above in the 1970s)
Private Collection, London (and sold: Christie's, London, December 10, 1997, lot 270)
Acquired at the above sale

The work is in excellent original condition. The panel is sound. There are two two-inch long incision marks in the lower center edge, where the artist scratched the pigment, likely inherent to the work. The pigments are bright and the impasto is well-preserved. In the upper right corner, there is one pindot loss to the pigment. Under UV light, no inpainting is apparent.
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.

The present work is an expressive vision of a painting showcasing Herbin at the peak of his involvement with the Fauve movement. It combines deft brushwork with a sensitive and emotive use of color. Having started his career by working in an Impressionist and then Divisionist style, Herbin fully embraced Fauvism by 1906, exhibiting alongside André Derain, Georges Braque and Maurice de Vlaminck at the 1907 Salon des Indépendents. This 1907 oil at the zenith of his Fauve practice infuses what might otherwise be a typical park scene with emotion and vibrancy through Herbin’s strategic use of saturated color. Herbin adeptly captures the reflection of the trees upon the pond as well as the skewing of their reflection through the ripples, continuing the examination of the effect of light and color on water that originated with Monet.  This work is an eloquent example of the impact of photography on painting. With the advent of photography in the early 1800s and its proliferation into everyday life by the turn of the century, painting was no longer confined to serving purely documentary purposes. With this new freedom of practice, Impressionist and Fauve artists such as Herbin were able to reinvent the possibilities of painting to emphasize self-expression, individual perspective and emotional release. The following years would see the artist move into the famed Bateau Lavoir studios in Paris and work alongside artists Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and Juan Gris to rapidly evolve his style through Cubism, ultimately becoming a founding member of the Abstraction-Création movement. 



The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by the late Geneviève Claisse.