PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR | Paysage près de Cagnes

Estate of the artist
Galerie Tanner, Zurich (acquired by 1928)
R. Schmid, Zurich (acquired from the above on August 30, 1928)
Sale: Christie's, London, June 22, 1993, lot 125 
Private Collection, Europe (and sold: Christie's, London, June 25, 1998, lot 140)
Acquired at the above sale

Bernheim-Jeune, ed., L'Atelier de Renoir, vol. II, Paris, 1931, no. 400, illustrated pl. 129
Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Renoir, Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles, 1903-1910, vol. IV, Paris, 2012, no. 2964, illustrated p. 173

This work is in very good condition. The canvas is unlined. The surface is nicely textured and the colors are lively. There is extremely light scattered staining, and a single pindot loss to the left of the tree trunk in the foreground. Under UV light: A few minor strokes of inpainting are visible along the right half of the upper edge.
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.

A charming example of Renoir’s mature landscapes, Paysage près de Cagnes reveals 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 color. Within the present work, verdant foliage moves gently in the breeze against the background of a warm blue sky, while the entire scene appears to be suffused with sunlight. Flurries of color 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, trying to cross the breach between 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 (see fig. 1). 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 entire 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. Through the lively brushwork and calming palette the present work is a fiercely optimistic pastoral image that “compensated for his own sickness, emaciation and physical paralysis” (Barbara Ehrlich White, Renoir, His Life, Art and Letters, New York, 1984, p. 229).



This work will be included in the forthcoming Renoir Digital Catalogue Raisonné, currently being prepared under the sponsorship of the Wildenstein Plattner Institute, Inc.