Henri Edmond Cross

Robert de Galéa, Paris
Mrs Robert Lehman, New York (acquired from the above by 1953; sale: Christie's, New York, 7th November 2002, lot 220)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Paris, Galerie Charpentier, Le Paysage français de Corot à nos jours, 1942, no. 45
New York, Fine Arts Associates, H. E. Cross, 1951, no. 5, illustrated in the catalogue (titled Rouen)
New York, Wildenstein Galleries, Seurat and his Friends, 1953, no. 63 (titled Along the Seine)

Isabelle Compin, H. E. Cross, Paris, 1964, no. 76, illustrated p. 167

The canvas is not lined. There is a 5cm. line of intermittent spots of retouching running down the top of the right edge and a 7cm. line of intermittent spots of retouching running across the tug boat on the right. All retouching is visible under UV light. This work is in very good condition. Colours: The colours are much more vibrant, particularly the yellows, in the original.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The urban, industrial setting of Quai de Passy is rare and unusual in the work of Henri-Edmond Cross. Whilst the workings of modern life was a common subject for both the Impressionists and the Neo-Impressionists, the main subject of Cross's work were the bucolic landscapes surrounding his home in Saint-Clair, near St. Tropez. This preference was both political and circumstantial; Cross, like many of the Neo-Impressionists, was an active supporter of the Anarchist movement. The vibrant landscapes that make up the majority of his œuvre depict an Arcadian, pre-industrial ideal and reflect the conviction that the city was the principal cause of the ills of modern society. The other motive for Cross's move to the south of France in 1891 was his chronic rheumatism, and like many artists who were to migrate to the Cote D'Azur, the luminosity of the southern light and the colours it intensified were replicated in the tonality of his palette.

The present work was probably painted on a visit to Paris around 1899, and Cross has modified his palette to suit his changed environment; the bright pastel colours of his Saint-Clair works have been replaced by blues and purples, giving the scene a muted feel reflecting the change of atmosphere. However, the colour theories of Pointillism are still in evidence, and the opposition of blues and mauves with the background oranges and yellows are typical of the rich harmonies that Cross used to paint sunlight. Also evident in the work is the modified technique that Cross began to use around 1895. Both Cross and Signac had become dissatisfied with the strict limitations of pointillism, and began to move towards a more expressive pointillist technique that utilised larger, courser strokes allowing a more figurative element to enter his compositions. The varied shapes of his brushstrokes in the present work also give the paint surface an animation and fluidity in keeping with the nature of the subject, and allow the artist to inject the work with a kinetic energy that contrasts with the serenity of the earlier phase of Pointillism.