- 388
Henri Martin
Estimate
200,000 - 300,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Henri Martin
- BATEAUX DE PêCHe, SUR LA GRèVE à COLLIOURE
- Signed Henri Martin (lower right)
- Oil on canvas
- 24 by 29 in.
- 61 by 73.6 cm
Provenance
Collection of Monsieur et Madame J., Paris
Sale: Tajan, Paris, February 22, 2005, lot 84
Acquired by the present owners in July 2006
Sale: Tajan, Paris, February 22, 2005, lot 84
Acquired by the present owners in July 2006
Condition
Work is in excellent condition. Canvas is unlined and surface is clean. A few isolated spots of craquelure in some of the lightest pigments. Rich surface impasto is very well preserved throughout. Under UV light: several strokes of inpainting around top of second mast from the left. Also a centimeter wide spot of inpainting 1.5 inches to the right of this mast corresponds with a pinhead size puncture visible on the reverse. A few tiny spots of inpainting on upper right edge and bottom left edge to address minor frame abbrasion. Otherwise fine.
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 village of Collioure, situated in the foothills of the Pyrenees not far from the Spanish border, already boasted a rich artistic tradition by the time Martin settled there in 1923. As early as 1905, Signac, Matisse and Derain had incorporated the stunning Mediterranean light and deep pinks and browns of Collioure's seaside buildings into their early fauve paintings. The appeal of Collioure both to the Fauvists and indeed to Martin himself lay in the remoteness of its location and its freedom from industrialization, retaining a mythical, untouched quality; "The tall, orangey-pink bell tower (instantly recognisable in so many of Matisse's paintings), was a converted lighthouse originally built, according to legend, by the arabs" (Hilary Spurling, The Unknown Matisse, A Life of Henri Matisse: The Early Years, 1869-1908, London, 1998, p. 299).
Unconstrained by the stringent tenets of Post-Impressionism as laid down by Seurat and Signac, Martin's work represents a confident and original assimilation of their call for a carefully modulated palette combined with pictorial harmony and orchestration of line. What results is a scintillating exploration of the play of light on water and geometric shapes of the sailboats at the water's edge.
Unconstrained by the stringent tenets of Post-Impressionism as laid down by Seurat and Signac, Martin's work represents a confident and original assimilation of their call for a carefully modulated palette combined with pictorial harmony and orchestration of line. What results is a scintillating exploration of the play of light on water and geometric shapes of the sailboats at the water's edge.