Galleri Kaare Berntsen AS (acquired in 1994)
Acquired from the above

Canvas is unlined. Evidence of prior frame abrasion is visible at the upper right, upper left, lower right and lower left corners, as well as along the center of the extreme left edge. A few small spots of abrasion are also visible at the center of the bottom edge. Under UV light: a few minor half-inch strokes of inpainting fluoresce in the upper left and upper right corners. There is a half-inch vertical stroke of inpainting in the upper right quadrant and a few minor strokes in the foliage of the lower right quadrant. Overall the work is in very 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.
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 reveals the extent to which Vlaminck reacted against his early work as a Fauve and embraced the influence of Paul Cézanne. Vlaminck's later muted palette provides a startling contrast to the bold, pri🐷mary colors of his Fauvist work, and it reveals a more subtle and meditative approach to landscape painting. Typical "Cézannesque" motifs in this work include the slender trees which divide and balance the composition as well as the patterned red swaths of the rooftops that punctuate the background.

At first glance the austere and tender beauty of Cézanne's landscapes would seem to be diametrically opposed to Vlaminck's confrontational early works, yet there is an undeniable continuity in his experimentation with color. Indeed at the center of Cézanne's landscapes lay a desire to render nature and volume through color, and thus Vlaminck's decision to study Cézanne may well have been motivatꦜed less by a reaction to the excesses of his youth than by a desire to achieve a more measured and mature approach to his central preoccupation, the artistic possibilities of color.

Fig. 1  Paul Cézanne, Le Viaduct à L'Estaque, 1879-82𒐪, Oil on canvas, Ateneum Art Museum, Helsi💞nki