Kees van Dongen

Jeanne Bernard, Paris
Acquired from the above by the family of the present owner in the 1980s

The canvas is not lined and there are no signs of retouching under UV light. Apart from some hairline craquelure in the upper right quadrant, this work is in good original condition. Colours: Overall the colours are more subtle in the original although there is a greater depth of tone to the white.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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."

Van Dongen returned to the subject of still-lifes throughout his œuvre, approaching them with the same vigour as his portraits of women and the Fauvist works which had earned him widespread recognition. Pivoines roses, epitomises the evolution of the artist's style from his early Fauve works towards a more commercially appealing palette. Two large pale pink peonies dominate the canvas, erupting from their vase and adding dramatic light to the composition. Paint is applied in thick brushstrokes and colour assumes an expressive and highly charged quality. The pale phosphorescence of the two flowers which occupy the top left and bottom right quarters of the canvas is balanced by the rich touches of gold and ochre in the background and vase. The audacious colour combinations and sharp contrasts of light against dark recall Van Dongen's affiliation with the Fauves, with whom he exhibited at the sensational Salon d'Automne of 1905, to popular acclaim. For a brief time, he was represented by the renowned dealer Daniel Henry Kahnweiler and later by the Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, which represented many of the most prominent artists of the movement, including Bonnard and Matisse.

However in this mature still life, Van Dongen moves away from the flamboyant style of his Fauvist contemporaries, infusing the canvas with a more subtle, expressive atmosphere. As Marcel Giry has observed, other artists such as Bonnard, Marquet and Matisse '...were motivated by a desire to rearrange the perceptible world, adding their own lyrical note, [...] their technique was the same in each case, consisting of the vigorous application of pure colours... Van Dongen, however, breaks down some of his colours under the influence of light in order to suggest the enveloping atmosphere' (M. Giry, Fauvism: Origins and Development, New York, 1981, p. 84). He thus transforms an unassuming subject into a dynamic composition, providing a unique approach to the traditional still-life genre.