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Lot Essay
Pierre Célice from the Association des Amis de Henri Hayden has confirmed the authenticity of this work.
Painted in October 1918, Henri Hayden’s Nature morte au journal, presents a vivid, lively, composition from the artist’s earliest investigations into Cubism. Similarly to his master-work Fille assise au bouquet de fleurs, created the following year in 1919, Hayden revels in the possibilities of texture, pattern and colour with planes of sky blue, brown and green, employing stippled ‘confetti’-like flecks to enliven the surface, creating a shimmering, optical effect with dynamic spatial interaction. In this carefully constructed composition, Hayden uses trompe l’oeil to describe the patterned elements as if pieces of collage, cut and applied directly to the surface, enhancing the rich tapestry of his canvas.
Arriving in Paris from Poland in 1907, Hayden first became interested in the artistic possibilities of Cubism during the First World War, while living in Montparnasse. Inspired by Paul Cézanne, as well as by his contemporaries including Jean Metzinger, Gino Severini and Pablo Picasso, Hayden painted his first truly cubist works in 1917. In common with his contemporaries, Braque and Picasso, Hayden employs ordinary everyday domestic objects to construct Nature morte au journal, with a range of shapes and surfaces including a pipe, a magazine, a book and a table, studied amongst one another, to reveal the basis of their form through the ensuing tensions of their interrelationships. The oval-shaped border also refers to the earlier founders of Cubism, serving to enhance concentration within the centre of the canvas and to act as a counterpoint to the directional lines within. A matt, unvarnished surface serves to enhance the vibrancy of colour, adding a rare immediacy to its encounter, particularly for the period. Freshly revealed from this exceptional collection, Nature morte au journal is a quintessentially Cubist work that shows the artist at the height of his powers.
Painted in October 1918, Henri Hayden’s Nature morte au journal, presents a vivid, lively, composition from the artist’s earliest investigations into Cubism. Similarly to his master-work Fille assise au bouquet de fleurs, created the following year in 1919, Hayden revels in the possibilities of texture, pattern and colour with planes of sky blue, brown and green, employing stippled ‘confetti’-like flecks to enliven the surface, creating a shimmering, optical effect with dynamic spatial interaction. In this carefully constructed composition, Hayden uses trompe l’oeil to describe the patterned elements as if pieces of collage, cut and applied directly to the surface, enhancing the rich tapestry of his canvas.
Arriving in Paris from Poland in 1907, Hayden first became interested in the artistic possibilities of Cubism during the First World War, while living in Montparnasse. Inspired by Paul Cézanne, as well as by his contemporaries including Jean Metzinger, Gino Severini and Pablo Picasso, Hayden painted his first truly cubist works in 1917. In common with his contemporaries, Braque and Picasso, Hayden employs ordinary everyday domestic objects to construct Nature morte au journal, with a range of shapes and surfaces including a pipe, a magazine, a book and a table, studied amongst one another, to reveal the basis of their form through the ensuing tensions of their interrelationships. The oval-shaped border also refers to the earlier founders of Cubism, serving to enhance concentration within the centre of the canvas and to act as a counterpoint to the directional lines within. A matt, unvarnished surface serves to enhance the vibrancy of colour, adding a rare immediacy to its encounter, particularly for the period. Freshly revealed from this exceptional collection, Nature morte au journal is a quintessentially Cubist work that shows the artist at the height of his powers.