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Lot Essay
Christine Lenoir and Maria de la Ville Fromoit have confirmed the authenticity of this work.
Hailed as the painter of 'Joy and Light', Henri Lebasque absorbed a wide range of artistic influences in the development of his own lyrical style. Lebasque's biographer Paul Vitry underlines the importance of Camille Pissarro and the aesthetic of the Impressionists' works to the younger artist, who was also enthused by the more formal approach of Georges Seurat's divisionnisme. When Lebasque participated in the first Salon d'Automne of 1903, as one of its main founders, he soon became acquainted with the 'Fauves', such as André Derain, Maurice Vlaminck, Georges Rouault, Henri Manguin and Henri Matisse, who all became good friends. Their daring colours and violent contrasts served to enrich the artist's palette, but Lebasque's choice of subject matter resonated stronger with the Intimisme of Edouard Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard, who also concentrated on representing atmospheric daily snapshots of their families, bathed in hues of harmonious colours.
The present work, En Barque sur la Marne, is exemplary in combining most of Lebasque's influential artistic experiences into one luminous painting. The thick iridescent touches of paint show Lebasque's understanding of colour and divisionnisme, whilst he uses bright tones to suffuse the scene with a sense of liveliness. An intimate scene of a young girl, thought to be his eldest daughter Marthe, sitting cross-legged in a boat under the shade of a tree, is captured from above, a decidedly modern perspective as the viewer is presented with a cropped and divided view of the overall scene. In this work Lebasque creates a warm atmosphere with colours and light, evidence of the Intimistes' influence. He also masterfully creates a domestic scene in a plein-air painting, reflecting his own personal approach to the subject.
Hailed as the painter of 'Joy and Light', Henri Lebasque absorbed a wide range of artistic influences in the development of his own lyrical style. Lebasque's biographer Paul Vitry underlines the importance of Camille Pissarro and the aesthetic of the Impressionists' works to the younger artist, who was also enthused by the more formal approach of Georges Seurat's divisionnisme. When Lebasque participated in the first Salon d'Automne of 1903, as one of its main founders, he soon became acquainted with the 'Fauves', such as André Derain, Maurice Vlaminck, Georges Rouault, Henri Manguin and Henri Matisse, who all became good friends. Their daring colours and violent contrasts served to enrich the artist's palette, but Lebasque's choice of subject matter resonated stronger with the Intimisme of Edouard Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard, who also concentrated on representing atmospheric daily snapshots of their families, bathed in hues of harmonious colours.
The present work, En Barque sur la Marne, is exemplary in combining most of Lebasque's influential artistic experiences into one luminous painting. The thick iridescent touches of paint show Lebasque's understanding of colour and divisionnisme, whilst he uses bright tones to suffuse the scene with a sense of liveliness. An intimate scene of a young girl, thought to be his eldest daughter Marthe, sitting cross-legged in a boat under the shade of a tree, is captured from above, a decidedly modern perspective as the viewer is presented with a cropped and divided view of the overall scene. In this work Lebasque creates a warm atmosphere with colours and light, evidence of the Intimistes' influence. He also masterfully creates a domestic scene in a plein-air painting, reflecting his own personal approach to the subject.