Claude Monet

C.O. Nielsen, Christiania and New York (by circa 1920)

Georges Bernheim, Paris

Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris (by 1924)

Henri Canonne, Paris (by 1926)

Acquired by the father of the present owner in Paris in the 1950s

Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et Catalogue raisonné, vol. III, Lausanne & Paris, 1979, no. 1218, illustrated p. 121

Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet in the '90s (exhibition catalogue), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Art Institute of Chicago; The Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1989-90, fig. 22, illustrated p. 38

Daniel Wildenstein, Monet, Catalogue raisonné, vol. III, Cologne, 1996, no. 1218, illustrated p. 464

Original canvas. The surface is in excellent condition and the impasto is intact. Under ultra violet light, there are a few scattered specks of retouching in the sky and at the top right corner. Otherwise, this work is in very good condition. Colors: The catalogue illustration has an over-all yellow cast that is not present in the actual painting. In reality, the blues and pinks are much more vibrant and attractive.
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.
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Monet's love for the natural splendors of the Creuse valley near the Massif Central compelled him to paint over twenty canvases in the months he spent there in the winter of 1889.  He visited the site at the invitation of critic and friend Gustave Geffroy, a like-minded companion who was equally impressed by the unspoiled, rugged terrain.  The beauty of the area had not escaped the creative attention of author Georges Sand, who praised "the supple and subtle folds in the landscape" and described the environs as "intensely satisfying".  (quoted in Paul H. Tucker, Monet in the 90's: The Series Paintings, exhibition catalogue, Boston, 1989, p. 43)

Throughout his brief campaign in the Creuse area, Monet dedicated himself to capturing the transformative effects of light and shadow as they play across static natural elements.   As such, they foreshadow the legendary series paintings which would soon dominate his oeuvre.  Devoid of human or material presence, these compositions are meditations on the simultaneous grandeur and simplicity found only in unspoiled nature.  The present work was executed from one of the artist's favorite vantage points, and embodies the visual power of the awesome landscape as the Petite and Grande Creuse Rivers converge and flow as one toward Vienne.  Of the works Monet painted on his sojourn in the Creuse valley, Paul Hayes Tucker maintains that "the closely knit group of pictures [he] produced on this trip also attests to the kind of rigor that Monet exercised during his stay in Fresselines, a rigor that had likewise played a primary role in the production of the Grainstack pictures from that winter and that would become essential to his later serial efforts.  Finally, the Creuse pictures speak about certain fundamentals of art and nature in even stronger language than any previous group, fundamentals that once again would be critical to Monet's series paintings of the next decade" (ibid, p. 44).