PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR | Paysage - Arbre aux Collettes

Ambroise Vollard, Paris (acquired directly from the artist by 1919)
Sale: Hotel Douot, Paris, 26th May 1978, lot 104
Harry Krampf, Paris (purchased at the above sale)
Ryuzaburo Umehara, Japan (acquired in Paris in the 1960s)
Thence by descent to the present owner

Tokyo, The Seibu Museum of Art, Exposition Renoir, 1980, no. 28 (titled Arbre)

Ambroise Vollard, Tableaux, Pastels & Dessin de Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paris, 1918, vol. II, illustrated p. 182
Ambroise Vollard, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paintings, Pastels and Drawings. Tableaux, Pastels et Dessins, San Francisco, 1989, fig. 1705, illustrated p. 350

The canvas is lined. Inspection under UV light reveals a layer of varnish, preventing the UV light from fully penetrating; however, examination does reveal some minor spots of retouching to the right and upper edges, the largest of which is a small dot in the upper left corner (approximately 3mm in diameter). There are some fly spots to the sky and to the centre right of the composition. This work 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. 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."

A charming example of Renoir’s mature landscapes, Paysage - Arbre aux Collettes demonstrates the artist’s fascination with the fleeting effects of nature, which he sought to capture through painting en plein air. His classical style of the 1880s became softer in the first few years of the 1900s, showing a lively brushstroke that commands gentler and warmer hues of colour. The present work has never before appeared at auction and resided in the same collection for the past fifty years. Renoir’s command of colour is on display in the present work. The subtle variations in the dark green hues of the large tree in the centre of the composition enable a sense of volume. Meanwhile, the careful strokes of black underneath evoke shadow, further heightening the spatial composition. Additional flurries of colour in the warm blue sky and the white dabs of the clouds create an image of visceral, unbridled nature. Renoir, his brushstrokes visible in the free-form manner of the composition, strives to make his own presence felt, in an attempt to bridge the civilized and the wild, the tamed and the untamable.

Renoir adored the South of France and spent an increasing amount of time there before moving permanently to the area in 1897. Having suffered from the effects of rheumatoid arthritis prior to his move, Renoir found the warmth and sunlight of this more benign climate beneficial to his health, and produced some of the most charming and attractive landscapes of his career from the mid-1890s onward which depict the southern Midi region. Renoir further cemented his close connection to the South of France with the purchase of a countryside property near Cagnes in 1907, Les Colettes, where the artist and his family enjoyed a relaxed and happy existence.



This work will be included in the forthcoming Renoir Digital Catalogue Raisonné, currently being prepared under the sponsorship of the Wildenstein Plattner Institute, Inc. This work will be included in the second supplement to the Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles de Pierre-Auguste Renoir being prepared by Guy Patrice Dauberville and Floriane Dauberville, published by Bernheim-Jeune.