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Lot 225
  • 225

André Derain

Estimate
180,000 - 240,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • André Derain
  • LA SEINE à NANTERRE
  • Signed a. Derain (lower right)
  • Watercolor and ink on paper
  • 18 7/8 by 24 3/4 in.
  • 48 by 63 cm

Provenance

Philippe Leclerc, Lille (acquired between 1945 and 1960)
Private Collection, France

Condition

Good condition. There is a central vertical hard crease with some minor associated loss to the blue pigment. This crease has been flattened and stabilized. The work has been laid down on a Japan sheet. The Ingres watermark is visible at upper right. There are a few tiny tears along the upper edge and there are a few tiny foxmarks and specks of surface dirt throughout. Overall, very slightly lightstruck. Colors are brighter and fresher in person, especially the pinks and greens.
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

Having recently returned from his military service in September, 1904, Derain developed a newfound desire to paint differently than his predecessors, and in doing so, the artist diverged from the Impressionists. Their approach and method now appeared to him to be too restrained, limiting their efforts to capturing only the instant effects of nature rather than focusing on nature itself. Stimulated by this new aspiration and maintaining the desire to paint en plein air, Derain returned to his beloved views of the banks of the Seine, near Chatou and Nanterre.

In the present work, the artist has positioned himself atop a small hill overlooking the moored fishing boats along the Seine riverbank right across from the Sablière, a large paper factory in Nanterre.  Resolutely modern, the artist is visibly experimenting with new compositions and exploring new methods of depicting nature. The energetic brushwork of the grass in the foreground and the tangled branches of the trees appear spontaneously applied, infusing the elements of nature with a life-like vitality. Mere lines and swift strokes are used to depict the fisherman along the riverbanks. Depth and perspective are not indicated by nuances and shading but instead by planes of pure primary color and composition. In discussing this particular feature of Derain's unique style, Georges Duthuit notes, "His forms are sometimes reduced to the point of fragility; and sometimes he has recourse to a jerky line in order to animate colored planes incapable of setting themselves in motion of their own accord" (Georges Duthuit, The Fauvist Painters, New York, 1950, p. 47).  This development in Dܫerain's work and his exploration of a new purified form of painting strongly forecasts the 1905 Salon d'Automne and the impending fauve revolution.