Théo van Rysselberghe

Galerie Hugo Perls, New York
Hirschl & Adler, New York (acquired from the above in 1963)
Galerie Hugo Perls, New York (acquired from the above in 1963)
Hector Monnom, Brussels
Private Collection (sold: Sotheby's, New York, 4th November 2004, lot 2)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Brussels, Musée d'Art Moderne, Les XX, 1891
Paris, Pavillon de la Ville de Paris, Société des Artistes Indépendants, 1891, no. 1212
Ghent, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Théo van Rysselberghe, néo-impressionniste, 1993, no. 40, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

G. van Zype, Annuaire de l'Académie Royale de Belgique, Brussels, 1932, listed p. 130
M. J. Chartrain, Bulletin des Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, 1966, p. 73
Ronald Feltkamp, Théo van Rysselberghe, catalogue raisonné, Brussels, 2003, no. 1890-010, illustrated p. 288
Théo van Rysselberghe (exhibition catalogue), Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels & Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, 2006, illustrated in colour p. 109

The canvas is unlined and there is no evidence of retouching under ultra-violet light. This work is in very good original condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration, although slightly brighter and fresher in the original.
"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."

Painted in 1890, this peaceful landscape, executed in Van Rysselberghe's characteristic pointillist style, is a view of the Sambre valley in Belgium, not far from the French border. Born in Ghent in 1862, van Rysselberghe became a founding member of Les XX in 1884. Les XX was a group of twenty of the artists who had been rejected by the Salon in Brussels. They united to establish a new exhibiting body, which had recently assumed a position at the forefront of the European avant-garde. Van Rysselberghe executed his earliest Neo-Impressionist paintings in 1888, two years after his first contact with Georges Seurat and Paul Signac, but it was not until 1889 that he fully embraced the new style. Active as both a painter and as Octave Maus' second-in-command at Les XX, van Rysselberghe was one of the principal emissaries between Brussels and Paris.

As in many of his best paintings, the present composition is brought together through a unity of precisely applied strokes and a carefully controlled palette and composition. At the lower right corner, the rooftop of a country house serves as a visual anchor as it directs the eye up towards the sweeping arc of the receding river. The river is lined with a thin trace of purple tonalities along the near bank, a visual echo and connection with hues of the roof. The bird's-eye view perspective and the river bend establish the deep recession into the bucolic landscape. The near and far banks of the river and landmasses radiate outwards towards the lower left edge of the canvas, like ripples on a calm water surface, which is countered by the strict verticality of the large tree in the middle-ground. All of the various movements and directions these elements describe are, in turn, unified by the regularity of the innumerable, perfect touches of colour. Following the lessons of Cézanne, the artist establishes a complex arrangement of spatial planes and illusion of depth while simultaneously asserting the two-dimensional surface qualities of the painting through the flat, constructive units of brushstrokes.