- 145
ÉMILE BERNARD | Pont-Aven, Le Pouldu
Estimate
200,000 - 300,000 USD
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Description
- Émile Bernard
- Pont-Aven, Le Pouldu
- Oil on canvas
- 18 by 23 5/8 in.
- 45.7 by 60 cm
- Painted in 1889.
Provenance
Ernest Paulin Tasset, Paris
M.R. Schweitzer Gallery, New York (acquired in 1961)
Dr. & Mrs. Albert Kinkade Chapman, Rochester (and sold by the estate: John W. Coker Ltd., New Market, Tennessee, September 15, 2010, lot 30)
Acquired at the above sale
M.R. Schweitzer Gallery, New York (acquired in 1961)
Dr. & Mrs. Albert Kinkade Chapman, Rochester (and sold by the estate: John W. Coker Ltd., New Market, Tennessee, September 15, 2010, lot 30)
Acquired at the above sale
Exhibited
London, Tate Gallery, The Arts Council of Great Britain, Gauguin and the Pont-Aven Group, 1966, no. 93
Condition
Please contact the Impressionist & Modern department at 212-606-7360 for a condition report prepared by a third-party conservator.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
The Pont-Aven landscapes of Émile Bernard can be divided largely into two categories: those exhibiting radical Synthetic techniques, full of radiant color, flat perspectives and spiritual subject matter and those like the present work, which are more naturalistic, if stylized, demonstrating Bernard’s profound admiration for Paul Cézanne (see fig. 1). Similar to Cézanne, Bernard employed constructed brushstrokes to depict volume in architecture and foliage. In contrast to his Synthetic compositions, the palette of these Cezannesque landscapes remain muted, the reddish-orange roofs of the houses and the cream-colored geese appearing as highlights in a sea of yellow-green and blue-green tones that give the rolling hills a sense of depth.
Bernard first encountered Cézanne’s paintings in Père Tanguy’s shop in 1886, visiting on two subsequent occasions in 1904 and 1905. In an article in Mercure de France in 1907, Bernard calls Cézanne “his master...his mentor from the very first” (quoted in Émile Bernard 1869-1941, A Pioneer of Modern Art (exhibition catalogue), Städtische Kunsthalle, Mannheim & Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, 1990, p. 21). Bernard’s warm feelings toward Cézanne appear to have been reciprocated, if the correspondence between the two is any indication. “For us men, nature has more depth than surface,” Cézanne wrote to Bernard in 1904, “hence the need to introduce in our vibrations of light, represented by reds and yellows, enough blue tints to give a feeling of air…I would like to say that I have had another look at your study of the ground floor of the studio, it is good. All you need to do, I think, is to continue along these lines, you have an understanding of what ought to be done, and you will soon be able to turn your back on the Gauguins and Van Goghs!” (Alex Danchev, ed., The Letters of Paul Cézanne, Los Angeles, 2016, n.p.).
Béatrice Recchi Altabarra has kindly confirmed the authenticity of this work.
Bernard first encountered Cézanne’s paintings in Père Tanguy’s shop in 1886, visiting on two subsequent occasions in 1904 and 1905. In an article in Mercure de France in 1907, Bernard calls Cézanne “his master...his mentor from the very first” (quoted in Émile Bernard 1869-1941, A Pioneer of Modern Art (exhibition catalogue), Städtische Kunsthalle, Mannheim & Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, 1990, p. 21). Bernard’s warm feelings toward Cézanne appear to have been reciprocated, if the correspondence between the two is any indication. “For us men, nature has more depth than surface,” Cézanne wrote to Bernard in 1904, “hence the need to introduce in our vibrations of light, represented by reds and yellows, enough blue tints to give a feeling of air…I would like to say that I have had another look at your study of the ground floor of the studio, it is good. All you need to do, I think, is to continue along these lines, you have an understanding of what ought to be done, and you will soon be able to turn your back on the Gauguins and Van Goghs!” (Alex Danchev, ed., The Letters of Paul Cézanne, Los Angeles, 2016, n.p.).
Béatrice Recchi Altabarra has kindly confirmed the authenticity of this work.