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Lot Essay
Breton’s usual practice was to execute a preparatory oil sketch of the principal figures of his finished paintings. The fact that many of these sketches were signed is evidence that Breton considered them works of art in their own right. It is also likely that some sketches were done as remembrances of completed canvases rather than as studies for them. Late in his career, Breton even exhibited a small number of oil sketches and drawings at the Expositions universelles and on a few occasions, at the Salon.
Executed in swift, heavy brushstrokes laden with pigment, Le pré fleuri à Courrières demonstrates Breton’s prodigious abilities as a colorist. Mere daubs of paint in green, red and gold create a vast field of flowers. The palette transitions to green and gold to indicate wheat fields in the background, and the bright summer sky is evoked by softer brushwork in pink, turquoise, lavender and blue. The bent over figure gathering flowers refers back to several works in Breton’s oeuvre, most notably to the woman in the foreground in The Gleaners, Courrières (National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin) and again in The Weeders (Joselyn Art Museum, Omaha).
In the oil sketches, Breton demonstrates a spontaneity not apparent in the finished paintings, and in many, such as Le pré fleuri à Courrières, the artist uses the same color juxtapositions and short, choppy brushstrokes in a technique close to that of the Impressionists. The thick, vigorous impasto, the concentration on color harmonies and the effects of light indicate that Breton, when relying solely upon his intuitive response to nature, could create vibrant sketches that in atmosphere and execution suggest ties with the more adventuresome landscape artists of the century.
Annette Bourrut-Lacouture confirmed the authenticity of this work in 1998.
Executed in swift, heavy brushstrokes laden with pigment, Le pré fleuri à Courrières demonstrates Breton’s prodigious abilities as a colorist. Mere daubs of paint in green, red and gold create a vast field of flowers. The palette transitions to green and gold to indicate wheat fields in the background, and the bright summer sky is evoked by softer brushwork in pink, turquoise, lavender and blue. The bent over figure gathering flowers refers back to several works in Breton’s oeuvre, most notably to the woman in the foreground in The Gleaners, Courrières (National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin) and again in The Weeders (Joselyn Art Museum, Omaha).
In the oil sketches, Breton demonstrates a spontaneity not apparent in the finished paintings, and in many, such as Le pré fleuri à Courrières, the artist uses the same color juxtapositions and short, choppy brushstrokes in a technique close to that of the Impressionists. The thick, vigorous impasto, the concentration on color harmonies and the effects of light indicate that Breton, when relying solely upon his intuitive response to nature, could create vibrant sketches that in atmosphere and execution suggest ties with the more adventuresome landscape artists of the century.
Annette Bourrut-Lacouture confirmed the authenticity of this work in 1998.