Vittorio Matteo Corcos

Ross-Lawson Galleries, London (in 1968)
Private Collection
Private Collection (by descent from the above and sold, Sotheby's, New York, February 12, 1997, lot 118, illustrated)
Private Collection (and sold, Sotheby's, New York, November 4, 2010, lot 43, illustrated)
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Livorno, Museo Civico G. Fattori; Florence, Galleria d'arte moderna, Palazzo Pitti, Vittorio Corcos: il fantasma e il fiore, June 26 - October 12, 1997

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting has been recently restored. The canvas has been lined using a synthetic adhesive. The paint layer is cleaned and varnished. The only retouches of any note are in the upper right in the sky and down the extreme right side. Elsewhere, there are a few cracks in the sky in the upper left that have been retouched. A diagonal mark in the upper left has received some retouching as well. The figures, the water and the remainder of the picture are in lovely state. The painting should be hung as is.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Vittorio Corcos painted Mezzogiorno al Mare in France, where he worked with the famous Parisian art dealer Adolphe Goupil. The artist arrived in Paris in 1880, exhibiting multiple works at the Salon gaining the reputation of a “peintres des jolies femmes,” a moniker bestowed upon him by The Times correspondent Henri de Blowitz.  Corcos returned to his native Italy in 1886 as one of the most reputable portraitists of his time, and was highly sought after by a clientele composed mostly of wealthy noblewomen.

Corcos is known to have painted several beach scenes at Biarritz in 1884, the year the present work was completed. Mezzogiorno al mare is noteworthy among these compositions for its exemplary depiction of the models’ exquisite dress and ornament. Corcos’ handling of diverse patterns and textiles is particularly striking, drawing upon contemporary color theories in his pairing of dramatic complementary colors. The bold placement of the rightmost figure’s vivid red bonnet against the green of her parasol is a notable example.

Perhaps as interesting as Corcos’s rendering of fashionable clothing is his handling of the models’ bodies, held in tension between the theatricality of Parisian elegance and statuesque stillness. He has posed his figures before an expansive seaside sky, placing their faces in the canvas’ center. The resulting composition renders the women miniature, one of several factors contributing to their doll-like appearance. To that end, their fashionable makeup gives their skin the look of porcelain, an effect enhanced by the artist’s finished brushwork.  Their "painted flesh" can be considered in two senses: the first being the artist’s application of paint to canvas, the second being the depicted figures’ application of cosmetics to their own faces, the artist’s brush ending where the rouge brush begins.

Please note this lot has been requested for the exhibition LA MAISON GOUPIL E L’ITALIA. Il successo degli Italiani a Parigi negli anni dell’Impressionismo organized by The Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo, the Municipality of Rovigo and the Accademia dei Concordi, to be held in Rovigo, Italy, at the Palazzo Roverella, from February 22nd to June 23rd, 2013.