Gustave Loiseau

Durand-Ruel, Paris
Private Collection, Paris
Thence by descent (and sold: Sotheby's, London, June 25, 2002, lot 129)
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Canvas is unlined. Work is in very good condition. A very thin web of craquelure scattered throughout but it is only noticeable under raking light and in the thinner pigments in the sky. Vertical central stretcher bar mark is faintly visible. Rich surface impasto is very well preserved. Under UV light: one very small spot of inpainting in the upper right sky. Otherwise fine.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Born in Paris in 1865, Gustave Loiseau, like many of the Impressionist painters, found inspiration in the coast of Normandy.  In Les Falaises de Saint-Jouin, Loiseau eliminates almost every sign of human presence, choosing instead to focus on nature itself. The composition is anchored by the dramatic cliffs on the right, and framed by a wide expanse of sea and sky.

Turning to this particular landscape, Loiseau, like Monet, followed in the footsteps of Gustave Courbet, who painted some of his best-known works on the coast of Normandy. Heather Lemonedes writes, "Courbet first journeyed to the Normandy coast when he was twenty-one and was immediately captivated by it. He made numerous return visits in the 1860s, painting the sea and the beach and establishing a reputation as a marine painter.  In 1866 the Count de Choiseul lent Courbet a house at Trouville, where the artist spent time in the company of Monet and Boudin.  One critic described the sea as producing 'the same emotion as love' in Courbet" (Heather Lemonedes in Monet in Normandy (exhibition catalogue), Fine Arts Museums, San Francisco, 2006-07, pp. 82-83). 

 

Fig. 1  Claude Monet, À Grainval, près Fécamp, 1881, oil on canvas, Private Collection, Norfolk, Virginia