ADRIEN-JEAN LE MAYEUR DE MERPRÈS | Renang and Ni Pollok

Gifted from Ni Pollok to the grandmother of the present owner in the 1960s
Thence by descent to the present owner
Private Collection, France

This work is in good overall condition as viewed. There is evidence of light wear and losses along the edges of the work due to abrasions with the frame, but this does not affect the overall image. There is some light craquelure to paint, visible upon close inspection, but this is stable and consistent with the age of the work. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals some areas of restoration along the edges of the work, and few very small and minor spots of retouching at the bottom left quadrant (at statue and sarong), bottom right quadrant (at shoulder and sarong), and near the right edge (at statue and background). Framed.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"For a very long time now he (Le Mayeur) has devoted his life completely to discovering miracles – in Jaipur or in Tahiti, on the banks of the Ganges or in a straw hut in Bali…”¹ A classic European Impressionist painter, Belgian-born artist Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur de Merprès sought to uncover and render an unadulterated picture of tropical life. Following the footsteps of the famed French artist Paul Gauguin, Le Mayeur embarked on his search for inspiration in Tahiti, an island that he quickly dismissed for its commercialized tourist industry. In 1929, upon arriving in the more untainted island of Bali for the very first time, he found exactly what he was looking for and more.

While Le Mayeur’s first encounter with Bali was brief, the sights and sensations of the unsullied enclave pulled him back to its shores again in 1932, marking a significant change in his consequent works. He was instantly entranced by the rich culture, the elegant dancers and the picturesque natural vistas, and decided that Bali would be he his home. Upon arriving by boat, Le Mayeur traveled to the little village of Kelandis, near Denpasar, and lived there for his first four months, prior to moving to his cottage in Sanur. In Kelandis, he settled near the Pura Dalem Jurit temple, where he encountered a dance company that often performed.

Amongst all the dancers from the group, Le Mayeur was particularly enchanted by two - Ni Wayan Pollok Tjoeglik (colloquially known as Ni Pollok) and Ni Renang - the subjects of this glorious painting. Inspired by their exquisite beauty, he hired these two favored dancers as his models, paying them one rupiah per day, generously one month in advance. The smitten artist would later marry Ni Pollok, the model seated at the left of the composition, and devote the rest of his life to immortalizing her. At once his spouse and muse, she was his precious embodiment of refinement and femininity.

In the 1960s, Ni Pollock gifted this very personal rendition, Renang et Polok, to the present owner’s grandmother. The present lot portrays a precious moment of leisure between the artist’s beloved models, who lounge in a moment of silence during a relaxed conversation. Depicted close up, the two women dominate the composition. Seated comfortably on the floor, they lean their arms on a small table in front of them, motioning towards each other. Cognizant of the artist’s close observation, Renang gazes towards the artist’s line of vision, while shifting her eyes coquettishly away from him, towards the right.

Upon viewing the present lot, it is evident that every banal activity of these dancers managed to inspire the artist. He describes them with high cheekbones, slender waists, and a regal aura of grace. In doing something so unassuming, the amiable dancers exudes quiet aura of sophistication. Le Mayeur skillfully reveals the sense of rapport between the friends, who are content with each other’s company.    

The figures are at once flanked and mirrored by antique, andesite stone sculptures standing tall behind them. They frame the subjects, drawing the eye inwards towards the maidens. By including these archaic effigies, Le Mayeur adroitly draws a parallel between their aged timelessness and the classic beauty of the young models before him. The sculptures themselves depict voluptuous figures, with sensual, sinuous curves that mimic the chiseled bodies and sharp features of the subjects. Some leafage dangles softly above the subjects, suggesting the presence of some verdure hovering above. 

The present lot is representative of the Bali-inspired works that the artist produced before World War II, cast in a soothing, sun-kissed glow and painted with a soft color palette. A faint horizon stretches across the background, such that the unruffled ocean and the clear blue sky appear to fuse into a single space. The fresh colors of the background and foreground harmoniously interconnect, such that the painting as a whole seems to exhale with the coastal breeze of the tropics. A hazy afternoon light bathes the scene, tinting the figures and their environment with a light yellow glow. It is conceivable that Le Mayeur honed his penchant for capturing beauty from European Impressionist painters also delighted in painting subjects lounging in the outdoors. Le Mayeur typically painted en plein air in order to render his muses blanketed in natural light.

Le Mayeur strikingly portrays young women so in tune with their natural milieu, history, and lineage. The present lot preserves a nostalgic vignette of Bali before the island was affected by the Japanese occupation during World War II and thereafter, transforming into the popular tourist destination we know today. Today, Le Mayeur's works stand as a chronicle of Balinese life, as seen through his romanticized eyes and agile brush. Renang et Pollock is truly telling of Le Mayeur's intimate affection for the island, enduring as a marvelous depiction of the serenity of his chosen home and the idealized beauty of his favorite muses.

¹ Critic Richard Dupierreux stated in the preface of the exhibition catalogue to Le Mayeur’s show at the Galerie de la Toison d’Or