Galerie Georges Bernheim, Paris
Eastlake Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above

Canvas is not lined. Surface is clean and coated lightly with a layer of varnish. Under UV light: some original pigments fluoresce but no inpainting is apparent. Overall the work is in excellent condition.
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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.

The present work was painted from the terrace of Renoir's house Les Collettes overlooking Cagnes, a small coastal village in the South of France. Renoir purchased the property, noted for its orange groves and olive trees, in 1907 and built a comfortable home there, where he spent many of his remaining years. Though secluded, the villa brought Renoir much attention from the local residents. He wrote to Julie Rouart, the daughter of Berthe Morisot and Eugène Manet, in March 1908: "We are in the process of planting like La Fontaine's old man...the green peas are doing well, and so are the potatoes. So for the moment it's perfect bliss. If all of Cagnes had not befriended me because of my rich estate, everything would be fine, but here I am, an esteemed gentleman in Cagnes, where nobody paid any attention to me last year" (Barbara Ehrlich White, Renoir, His Life, Art and Letters,  New York, 1984, p. 241).

Recalling Cézanne's method of integrating space🌟, Renoir uses the distinctively serpentine branches of the olive trees as a visual screen, separating foreground and background.  His loose atmospheric brushwork aptly captures the soft sunlight, diffused through the leaves, which echo the violaceous blues of the hills and sea below.  A few bursts of yellow in the trees indicate this is the heart of the Mediterranean summer.  From this vantage, far above the town of Cagnes, Renoir seems to revel in a moment of splendid seclusion.