RODERIC O'CONOR | Valley Landscape Near Cassis

Christie's, London, 3 March 1989, lot 381;
Private collection, Northern Ireland;
Christie's, London, 20 May 1999, lot 193 

Taylor Gallery, London, Irish Art in the 20th Century, 1989, no.24;
Taylor Gallery, London, Ireland and the Modern Movement, 1990, no.27;
Washington, John F. Kennedy Center, Irish Paintings from the Collection of Brian P. Burns, 13-  28 May 2000, illustrated p.68

Jonathan Benington, Roderic O'Conor, Dublin, 1992, no.179, p.211-12

The canvas has been put onto a new wooden stretcher. The reverse of the canvas has an application of adhesive. This is providing a secure and stable support and the work appears in very good overall condition. Under ultraviolet light there is a small area of retouching near the lower left hand corner, which relates to a repaired tear, visible from the reverse. Another small spot of retouching near centre of sky towards upper edge, which also relates to a minor repaired tear, visible from the reverse. Both these have been well executed. One further small spot of retouching in the upper right hand corner. Held in a gilt plaster frame, ready to hang.
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A century ago the small fishing port of Cassis near Marseille in the South of France had much to offer the painter - a picturesque harbour, dramatic cliffs and mountains, and a coastline indented by rocky inlets, all bathed in bright Mediterranean light. Georges Braque, André Derain and Othon Friesz had painted fauve landscapes in the area around 1906, encouraging other artists to follow in their wake. O'Conor first made the long journey from Paris in 1912 and returned the following year, staying from summer through to winter. During this second visit he was in contact with Charles Camoin, Albert Marquet and Henri Manguin, whilst the English-speaking contingent expanded with the arrival of J.D. Fergusson, S. J. Peploe and Anne Estelle Rice.  Cassis gave O'Conor new inspiration and triggered a return to landscape painting at the expense of studio subjects. The paintings he produced were characterised by bright pure colours and a bold confident technique. He tended to steer clear of the obvious picturesque subjects such as the harbour and town, favouring instead the imposing summit of Le Cap Canail fronted by isolated farmsteads, sun-drenched orchards and vineyards.

The present work represents a mountain stream that changes level as it reaches a small waterfall, the closest stretch of water just catching the light of the setting sun. Although the steep slopes of the valley are silhouetted, they still glow red, pink and purple, as do the wall and path above the left bank of the stream. The picture has been painted methodically using short parallel brushstrokes and small dabs of colour - a Cézannesque approach that marks a change from the dabbed and stained surfaces typical of his Cassis landscapes. The rapidly fading light may have obliged the artist to complete the work under cover, away from the subject, and it is possible that it dates from the first shorter trip to Cassis. The measured tonal progression from dark foreground to radiant background aligns with the system he had devised in Paris for indoor subjects that were backlit.

Jonathan Benington