Maurice Brazil Prendergast

Saint Malo - Post Impressionist Seascape Watercolor by Maurice Prendergast

1907

Impressionist oil on canvas seascape painting circa 1895 by French artist Maxime Maufra. This stunning work depicts a sailing boat on a vast ocean. The choppy water is painted in greens and blues. The white clouds rolling across the blue sky are beautifully shaded in purple tones. Signature: Signed lower left and titled on original label verso Dimensions: Framed: 22"x25" Unframed: 15"x18" Provenance: This work is included in the catalogue raisonne of Maxime Maufra under reference 284 Durand-Ruel, Paris (acquired directly from the artist on 5 April 1895) Durand-Ruel Galleries, New York (acquired from the above in 1895) Marlborough Fine Arts, Ltd., London (acquired after 1949) Dr. Renate Davis, London (acquired from the above) Lyon & Turnbull London, 28 November 2013, lot 111 (consigned by the above) Private Collection, New York (acquired from the above sale) Sotheby's New York, 15 November 2017, lot 101 (consigned by the above) Maufra spent several years in England, notably in Liverpool, with his father, who wanted him to become a tradesman. He decided to take up painting instead and returned to France in 1883, attracting the attention of Octave Mirbeau in his very first exhibition, and subsequently being noticed by Frantz Jourdain in 1894 and Fontenais in 1901. In 1886, he successfully exhibited two seascapes at the Salon, following which he visited Brittany in 1890, making the acquaintance of Gauguin and Sérusier in Pont-Aven; he collaborated with them on the decoration of the Pouldu Inn in 1894. He maintained his acquaintance with the Nabis group artists Henry Moret and Gustave Loiseau. He travelled in l'Isère, Belgium, and Algeria (1913), as well as Paris, the Ile de France, Brittany and Normandy. From 1895, the Galerie Durand-Ruel assured the success of his work. Maufra settled in Montmartre for about ten years during which he painted the old quarters of Paris, often around the church of St Séverin. He then turned to Brittany and Normandy for inspiration in keeping with a resolve to paint only from nature, his seascapes in particular finding favour. The influence of the Nabis on his work remains limited except in the 'synthetic' organisation of the composition. He was an admirer of Sisley and Pissarro, whose influence can be seen in his paintings. Maufra, like Valtat, went to some extent beyond Impressionism to become a forerunner of Fauvism in his use of colour. An important retrospective exhibition of Maufra's work, prefaced by René Domergue, was organised in Paris around 1950. In 2001, his work was represented in the exhibition Painters and the Sarthe Region ( Les Peintres et la Sarthe) held at the Musée de la Reine Bérengère (for the 19th century) and the Abbaye de l'Épau (for the 20th century) at Le Mans. In 2003, his work appeared in the group exhibition Brittany, Land of Painters ( Bretagne, Terre des Peintres) at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Vannes. Museum and Gallery Holdings: Bergues: Seascapes Boston: Dusk in Douarnenez; Departure of Fishing Boats Buffalo: Transport Quittant Le Havre Chicago: Douarnenez the Town of Light Cholet: Flood Cincinnati (AM): The Coast, Bay of Douarnenez (Vue de Douarnenez) (painting) Helsinki: St-Guénolé Le Havre: Moonrise in Brittany Manchester: Springtime in Lavardin Montpellier: Hills of Morgat Mulhouse: Low Tide Nantes (MBA): La Prairie d'Amont (1888, oil on canvas); Pointe du Raz; Heavy Swell; The Loir Dam in Poncé (oil on canvas) Paris (Mus. d'Orsay): Brittany Landscape...

Signed post impressionist landscape oil on panel by popular French painter Georges D'Espagnat. The piece depicts the beach at Belle Ile, an island off the coast of Brittany in France, at sunset. An exceptional early painting by D'Espagnat which shows the precursor influence of Fauvism which was to dominate his paintings in the following few years. Signature: Signed lower right Dimensions: Framed: 23"x26" Unframed: 15"x18" Provenance: Private French collection A certificate of authenticity from Mr. Jean-Dominique Jacquemond is available upon request. This work will be included in the catalogue raisonne of Georges D'Espagnat under preparation by Mr. Jacquemond From the beginning of his career, it was a constant concern of Georges d'Espagnet to assert his originality. His studies at the École des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, did not last very long, for he wanted immediate independence and decided to follow courses in the private academies of Montparnasse. In about 1900, he became acquainted with Maurice Denis, Bonnard and Vuillard, and his collaboration with Denis led to a renewal of religious art in France. In 1903, d'Espagnet was one of the founders of the Salon d'Automne, and was appointed professor in charge of studios at the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, in 1934. He illustrated a number of books: Rémy de Gourmont's Evil Prayers ( Oraisons mauvaises) (1896), The Saints of Paradise ( Les Saintes du paradis) (1898), Simone (1907), Sistine ( Sixtine) (1922); Alphonse Daudet's The Immortal ( L'Immortel) (1930); André Gide's The Pastoral Symphony ( La Symphonie pastorale); Francis Jammes' Clearings in the Sky ( Chairières dans le ciel) (1948). D'Espagnet belongs to the group of artists who made the Courrier Français so successful. The drawings of his which are published in it are strongly expressive and some bear comparison with the designs of the great Renaissance masters. He also contributed to L'Image. He often placed cheerful nudes in a landscape, reminding us that, though he moved away from the Fauves, he retained their freedom of colour and arabesque. He painted many portraits, including those of Albert André, André Barbier, Victor Boucher, Déodat de Séverac, Albert Marque, André Marty and Albert Roussel. He also painted mural decorations, including a wall for the Palais de la Découverte (1937), the ceiling of the Victor Hugo Room in the Palais du Luxembourg (1939), a decorative panel for the Palais de Justice, Toulouse (1941) and interior decorations for private houses. His landscapes are Impressionist in inspiration, and work for a certain sobriety, an intimacy, both in their composition - one, two or three sketched figures and large open spaces - and in the choice of colours and treatment with the special hazy brushstroke that marks his style. D'Espagnet took part in a number of annual Parisian exhibitions, including the Salon des Indépendants, the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, the Salon d'Automne (from 1903 to 1949, except in special circumstances), the Salon de la Libre Ésthétique, Brussels (1899, 1901), the Berlin Secessionists (1940). He also exhibited at the first Salon de la Société de la Gravure sur Bois. Among other exhibitions were 1912, A Century of French Art ( Centenaire de l'art français), St Petersburg; 1916, Kunstverein, Winterthur; 1918, 1926, Galerie M. Bertheim, Paris; 1930, Contemporary French Art...

Provenance The Artist; Charles Prendergast (acquired from the above in 1924); Mrs. Charles Prendergast (thence by descent from theabove in 1948); Kraushaar Galleries, New York; Mr...

Eve Nethercott, American (1925 - 2015) - Rockport (P6.4), Year: 1948, Medium: Watercolor on Paper, Size: 18 x 23 in. (45.72 x 58.42 cm), Description: Eve Nethercott's view of...