Baron F. Rolin, Brussels
Galleries Maurice Sternberg, Chicago (acquired from the above)
Lenoir M. Josey Inc., Houston
Montgomery Gallery, San Francisco
Lafayette Park Gallery, San Francisco
Salander-O'Reilly Gallery, New York
Ron Hall Gallery, Dallas
Acquired from the above on May 17, 1990

Geneviève Claisse, Herbin, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, Paris, 1993, no. 107, illustrated p. 298

Canvas is unlined. Edges are reinforced with tape. There is a thick, well preserved impasto throughout the canvas and the colors are extremely bright and fresh. Some scattered cracking, primarily in the lighter pigments. Under UV light there is a spot of inpainting at the upper right corner, a few dots along the left edge and at lower left corner to address prior fram abrasion and some scattered lines of inpainting in the sky to address cracking. The pink pigments fluoresce brightly under UV light but appear to be original. This work is in generally 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.

Painted beneath the glowing Corsican sunlight, Vue d’un village Corse is a souvenir of Herbin’s 1907 sojourn alongside his friend Wilhelm Uhde, a German author, art collector, dealer and critic. This visit not only inspired Herbin to experiment with light and landscape, it also provided the ideal setting for him to push the boundaries of figurative representation and form and to experiment with the limits of geometry and bands of color. The tranquility of the Corsican coast provided the ideal setting for Herbin to produce a series of fifteen paintings evocative of the Fauvist color palate and Post-Impressionist use of line.

Herbin exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants alongside Derain, Vlaminck and Braque in March and October 1907 and he exhibited additional Fauve works at the fifth Salon d'Automne at the Grand Palais. With its bright palette and energetic brushwork, Vue d’un village Corse is a wonderful example of Fauvism, clearly inspired by the bright and lively scenes which Herbin’s contemporaries Derain, Matisse and Braque were painting in Collioure, Saint Tropez, and L'Estaque around the same time (see fig. 1).

Vue d’un village Corse is characterized by Herbin's unique language of horizontal color, a warming hue of sunlight leading the viewer to cross from the bright yellow sky to a multitude of vibrant tones and serene blues and reds amongst the village below. Highlighting the importance of the link between color and sensation, this Corsican landscape is a compelling insight into the artist's ability to translate light into form, anticipating the bright and abstract paintings he would later produce toward the end of the 1920s.