Galeria Witcomb, Buenos Aires
Private Collection (acquired from the above in 1933)
Private Collection (by descent from the above and sold: Sotheby's, London, June 29, 1999, lot 152)
Acquired at the above sale

Pittsburgh, Carnegie Institute, Le Sidaner, 1929, no. 9

Pittsburgh Post Gazette, March 4, 1929, n.p.  
Yann Farinaux-Le Sidaner, Le Sidaner, L'Oeuvre peint et gravé, Paris, 1989, no. 596, illustrated p. 223

This work is in very good condition. Canvas is unlined. Colors are lively and there is a rich and textured impasto. There is one small patch on the back of the canvas at upper center towards left. Under UV light one spot of inpaitning in the orange pigment at the bottom edge on the right side of the tablecloth fluoresces and a few tiny pindots at extreme upper edge near upper right corner. At the upper center below the ornamental urn in the masongry a few strokes 1 1/2 inches long of inpainting to address a repaired tear which corresponds to the patch at the back of the canvas fluoresce. No other inpainting is apparent.
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 first generation of Impressionist painters was highly influential to Le Sidaner, whose formative years coincided with the height of the Impressionist movement. At the age of twenty in 1882, the artist visited the seventh Impressionist exhibition and became fascinated by the work of Claude Monet. Two years later his enthusiasm for the style intensified after attending a retrospective exhibition of Édouard Manet.

Le Sidaner’s work parallels that of Monet in terms of style as well as choice of motif; both artists would reiterate the same subject matter in all seasons and during all times of day in order to isolate the variations of light. The Impressionist technique of using short, fragmented brushstrokes and intensified colors was particularly suited to Le Sidaner’s desire to capture the nuances of natural light.

La Table sur la cour is a rich painting that reveals parts of both the interior and exterior of Le Sidaner’s home in Gerberoy.  The artist spent most of his summers in this little village, and the place of residence soon became the source of inspiration for at least a quarter of the artist’s oeuvre. In his later years, Le Sidaner often focused heavily on depictions of his homes that “include intimate views into and out of his own living quarters, in which draftsmanship and composition increasingly give way to painterly effects and to broader and rougher brushwork” (Yann Farinaux-Le Sidaner, op.cit., p. 178).

A favored theme for the artist, the view through a window or door exhibits Le Sidaner’s particular skill in capturing light; the artist communicates a palpable distinction between the cool shadows of the foreground and the warm sunlight of the exterior. His son recalls: “[Le Sidaner] frequently represented interiors, in which the sunlight was softened by gently rippling curtains. When my father caught one of these ‘special effects,’ he nodded in my direction and stood there, gazing towards the horizon, impressing on his mind the scene he had just witnessed” (ibid., p. 10).