Paul Gauguin

Mette Gauguin, Copenhagen (acquired from the artist circa 1893)

Benny Dessau, Copenhagen (acquired from the above)

Mme Benny Dessau, Copenhagen (acquired from the above by circa 1948)

Einar Dessau, Copenhagen (acquired from the above circa 1955)

M. Troels Munck (acquired circa 1983)

Wildenstein & Co., Tokyo

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Copenhagen, Den Frie Udstilling, 1893, no. 139 (titled Marine de Bretagne and as dating from 1888)

Copenhagen, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Gauguin, 1948, no. 32

Oslo, Kunstnerforbundet, Gauguin, 1955, no. 14

Edinburgh, Royal Scottish Academy; London, Tate Gallery, Gauguin, 1955, no. 20

Copenhagen, Winkel et Magnussen, Gauguin et ses amis, 1956, no. 65

Paris, Galerie Charpentier; Munich, Haus der Kunst, Gauguin, 1960, no. 35

Tokyo, Seibu; Kyoto, National Museum of Modern Art; Fukuoka, Prefectural Cultural Center, Gauguin, 1969, no. 15

Charlottenlund, Ordrupgaard, Gauguin og Van Gogh I Kobenhavn I 1893, 1984, no. 27 (not exhibited)

Denys Sutton, "Notes on Gauguin apropos a recent exhibition," The Burlington Magazine, London, March 1956, discussed p. 91

Georges Wildenstein, Gauguin, vol. I, Paris, 1964, no. 284, illustrated p. 105 (titled La Crique)

Giorgio M. Sugana, L'opera completa di Gauguin, Milan, 1972, no. 116, illustrated p. 92

Paul Gauguin e l'avanguardia russa (exhibition catalogue), Ferrara, Palazzo dei Diamanti, 1995, illustration of a detail of the present work p. 286

Daniel Wildenstein, Gauguin, Premier itinéraire d’un sauvage, Catalogue de l’oeuvre peint (1873-1888), vol. II, Paris, 2001, no. 289, illustrated p. 401

In the summer of 1887, Gauguin travelled to Martinique, where he was immediately captivated by the fresh, clear light and the variety of tropical colors. As noted by Michel Hoog, ''Gauguin's work from the Martinique period was characterized by a search for new rhythms, a tendency to outline shapes and the adoption of a range of clearer, brighter colours'' (Michel Hoog, Paul Gauguin, Life and Work, New York, 1987, p. 73). Gauguin returned to France in November that year and three months later set off for Brittany, where he applied these stylistic practices to his depictions of Pont-Aven and its environs. In Les rochers sur la côte Bretonne, the mass of purple rock, the horizontal bands of green in the water, and the passage of bright red and black where the ocean meets the land convey a vibrancy reflective of his trip to Martinique. At the same time, the artist highlighted the contours of the landscape with delicate outlines, which serve to emphasize the ruggedness of the coast. The result is a highly complex and atmospheric composition.

According to Bogomila Welsh-Ovcharov, the winter of 1887-88 also "marked Gauguin's first critical encounter with Vincent van Gogh and his circle in Montmartre; their new cloisonist canvases had significant impact on his own developing stylistic simplifications. His meeting with the Dutch artist and his brother, Theo, resulted in a unique relationship that had significant artistic and financial consequences during Gauguin's third visit to Brittany" (Bogomila Welsh-Ovcharov in Eric M. Zafran, ed., Gauguin's Nirvana, Painters at Le Pouldu 1889-90 (exhibition catalogue), Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut, 2001, p. 16). The painting techniques Gauguin employed in the present work reveal the similarities between the artists' styles. Here, Gauguin has rendered the grass with deliberately applied brushstrokes. Upon close inspection, each blade is distinct. Collectively, however, they depict a rambling field of thick grass spreading along the ridge of the cliff. Meanwhile, the horizontal brushstrokes Gauguin used to suggest the rippling of waves extend to the upper edge of the canvas, and hint at an infinite horizon.