Galerie de la Présidence, Paris
Acquired from the above by the present owner circa late 1980s

The canvas is lined. UV examination reveals a few spots of retouching along the extreme left edge and a further few specks of retouching towards the upper right corner. There are some very fine lines of craquelure and some minute paint losses in places. Otherwise, this work is in overall good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue, though the orange tones are slightly more subdued in the original.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In Pont Neuf, Marquet perfectly captures the distinct atmosphere of rising mist covering the urban landscape of Paris. The present work is a remarkable example of the artist's increasing interest in rendering the urban vista from an elevated viewpoint. Marquet had moved to Paris before the turn of the century upon his mother's initiative, and promptly began his celebrated artistic dialogue with the inspirational city. Following Pissarro's lead, Marquet would often choose an apartment in accordance with the vantage points it afforded him, and then spend long hours painting at the window. This work demonstrates Marquet's innate ability to capture the essence of the Parisian boulevards, with the assured brushstrokes he had acquired whilst working in the fauve manner. Marquet balances his composition by juxtaposing the exposed branch-work of the trees lining the bridge entrance, agains𒐪t the almost translucent horizon.

Marquet executed multiple studies of specific views of Paris under different conditions of weather, and indeed he was remarkably sensitive to even the slightest variations in lighting and atmosphere. Pont Neuf is a celebration of nuance as well as capturing the speed and effervescence of Parisian life below. The understated palette is one of muted yellows, greens, and violets punctuated with shocks of black. As David Setford writes, 'whereas the Impressionists sought to understand the visual subtleties of atmosphere through the juxtaposition of small dabs of paint, Marquet translated light, water and land into much more solid tonal effects. As such, Marquet's is an art that from his early years seems somehow more timeless and permanent than that of his contemporaries' (David F. Setford, From Fauvism to Impressionism: Albert Marquet (exhibition catalogue), New York, 2001, p. 6).