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拍品專文
Wanda de Guébriant has confirmed the authenticity of this work.
Between 1905 and 1914, Matisse and his family spent most summers and one winter in the small fishing village of Collioure on the Mediterranean coast, approximately ten miles from the Spanish border. These summers were integral to the formation of Matisse’s early style. It is there that the artist’s experimentation with form and color alongside André Derain developed into Fauvism. Bateaux à Collioure was painted during the first summer spent in the town and is a striking example of Matisse’s Fauvist vision.
Matisse flourished during his time spent in the small fishing village, speaking of his first stay there, “working before a soul-stirring landscape, all I thought of was making my colors sing, without paying any heed to the rules and regulations” (quoted in P. Schneider, Matisse, London, 1984, p. 203). It was not long before Matisse expressed the desire to share his inspiring surroundings, calling upon the young Derain to join him. In a letter to the artist, Matisse wrote, “I cannot insist too strongly that a stay here is absolutely necessary for your work. I am certain that if you take my advice you will be glad of it. That is why I say to you again, come!” (quoted in H. Spurling, The Unknown Matisse, New York, 1998, p. 316). Derain did not delay long in heading south, where he and Matisse painted side-by-side for the duration of the summer. The working relationship between the two artist’s helped to fuel their growth. Ten years his junior, Derain strove to impress Matisse, and likewise Matisse, as the older and more established artist, was stimulated to remain worthy of his praise. Both artists broke free from the model of Neo-Impressionism and began to paint in a boldly colorful, psychologically intense style.
That summer Matisse had rented a room overlooking the Faubourg beach, by the Port d’Avall, to use as his studio. He found endless inspiration right outside his window, as seen in the numerous views he painted of the boats and activity along the waterside. Matisse rarely used watercolor, but his fluency with the medium is on elegant display in the present work. The glistening waters and vibrant beach of the coastal town are perfectly captured through this delicate medium. Applied in luminous layers of varied colors, Matisse creates an interesting visual interplay between the diagonal masts and the broad strokes of the water and horizon line. An almost identical view was captured by the artist in oil. Painted during that same summer, La plage rouge (Dauberville, vol. I, no. 57; fig. 1) builds on the foundations of the watercolor that likely preceded it. The use of these bold, vivacious colors would become the defining characteristic of the Fauves. Matisse demonstrates how easily he can move between such different media while still accomplishing the same goal. He is most successful here as “there is no attempt to force the fragile medium to compete with the artist’s color experiments in oil" (V.I. Carlson, Matisse as Draughtsman, exh. cat., The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1971, p. 30).
Between 1905 and 1914, Matisse and his family spent most summers and one winter in the small fishing village of Collioure on the Mediterranean coast, approximately ten miles from the Spanish border. These summers were integral to the formation of Matisse’s early style. It is there that the artist’s experimentation with form and color alongside André Derain developed into Fauvism. Bateaux à Collioure was painted during the first summer spent in the town and is a striking example of Matisse’s Fauvist vision.
Matisse flourished during his time spent in the small fishing village, speaking of his first stay there, “working before a soul-stirring landscape, all I thought of was making my colors sing, without paying any heed to the rules and regulations” (quoted in P. Schneider, Matisse, London, 1984, p. 203). It was not long before Matisse expressed the desire to share his inspiring surroundings, calling upon the young Derain to join him. In a letter to the artist, Matisse wrote, “I cannot insist too strongly that a stay here is absolutely necessary for your work. I am certain that if you take my advice you will be glad of it. That is why I say to you again, come!” (quoted in H. Spurling, The Unknown Matisse, New York, 1998, p. 316). Derain did not delay long in heading south, where he and Matisse painted side-by-side for the duration of the summer. The working relationship between the two artist’s helped to fuel their growth. Ten years his junior, Derain strove to impress Matisse, and likewise Matisse, as the older and more established artist, was stimulated to remain worthy of his praise. Both artists broke free from the model of Neo-Impressionism and began to paint in a boldly colorful, psychologically intense style.
That summer Matisse had rented a room overlooking the Faubourg beach, by the Port d’Avall, to use as his studio. He found endless inspiration right outside his window, as seen in the numerous views he painted of the boats and activity along the waterside. Matisse rarely used watercolor, but his fluency with the medium is on elegant display in the present work. The glistening waters and vibrant beach of the coastal town are perfectly captured through this delicate medium. Applied in luminous layers of varied colors, Matisse creates an interesting visual interplay between the diagonal masts and the broad strokes of the water and horizon line. An almost identical view was captured by the artist in oil. Painted during that same summer, La plage rouge (Dauberville, vol. I, no. 57; fig. 1) builds on the foundations of the watercolor that likely preceded it. The use of these bold, vivacious colors would become the defining characteristic of the Fauves. Matisse demonstrates how easily he can move between such different media while still accomplishing the same goal. He is most successful here as “there is no attempt to force the fragile medium to compete with the artist’s color experiments in oil" (V.I. Carlson, Matisse as Draughtsman, exh. cat., The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1971, p. 30).