Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Ambroise Vollard, Paris
Galerie Paul Pétridès, Paris
Acquired from the above in 1964 

Ambroise Vollard, Tableaux, pastels et dessins de Pierre-Auguste Renoir, vol. I, Paris, 1918, no. 634, illustrated p. 161
Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Renoir, Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles, 1903-1910, vol. IV, Paris, 2012, no. 3054, illustrated p. 216

This work is in very good condition. For the complete condition report prepared by Simon Parkes Art Conservation please contact the Impressionist & Modern Art Department at +1 (212) 606 – 7360.
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An exquisite example of Renoir’s mature landscapes, Paysage du Midi depicts the sun-drenched terrain of the South of France to superb effect. Within the present work, a woman adorned in summery white stands amidst a cluster of leafy trees, whilst the vibrant blue sea can be glimpsed in the background. Renoir adored the South of France, and spent an increasing amount of time there before moving permanently to the area in 1902. Having suffered from the effects of rheumatoid arthritis prior to his move to the south, Renoir found the warmth and sunlight of this more benign climate beneficial to his health, and produced some of the most charming and attractive landscapes of his entire career from the mid-1890s onwards. Renoir further cemented his close connection to the South of France with the purchase of a countryside property near Cagnes in 1907, Les Collettes (almost certainly the house depicted within the present work). The artist and his family enjoyed an idyllic way of life at Les Collettes, as one of the frequent visitors to the property recalled: “Nothing could be less formal than life at Les Collettes. No barriers between master and servant, between kitchen and dining room, studio and living room…” (George Besson, cited in Renoir in the 20^th Century (exhibition catalogue), Paris, Galerie Nationales, 2009-10, p. 95).

Although Renoir defined himself primarily as a figure painter, landscape had been an important element within his oeuvre since the beginning of his career. In common with the other Impressionist artists, in particular Claude Monet, Renoir strove to immortalize the fleeting moments which occur in nature, such as a gust of wind or the fall of sunlight through trees, frequently working en plein air in order to re-create these effects as closely as possible. Within his later landscapes Renoir’s technique arguably reached new heights of painterly expression: rapidly executed, feathery brushstrokes imbue the present work with an astonishing sensation of energy and dynamism. A joyful celebration of a warm summer afternoon, Paysage du Midi serves to reveal Renoir’s extraordinary mastery of the landscape genre.