Louis Valtat

Private Collection, Europe

The canvas is strip-lined and UV examination reveals a few scattered spots of retouching towards the centre left and lines of retouching towards the lower and upper right corners. There are a few minor striations to the paint and minor spots of associated paint loss, notably on the orange vase on the right background, towards the upper left corner and towards the centre of the lower edge. Otherwise this work is in fairly good condition. Colours: fairly accurate in the printed catalogue, though overall softer.
"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 circa 1897, this portrait of a child reading in the garden is a work in which Valtat’s Nabis style is particularly evident and lively. Ten years after he had begun at the Académie Julian alongside Bonnard and Vuillard, Valtat cultivated and refreshed the principles of the ‘Nabis nebula’ with remarkable sensitivity: bold framing and linear profiles inspired by Japanese prints, and a breaking with perspective that results in a blurring of the foreground and background in a tapestry-like manner. Above and beyond this distinctively Nabis imprint, the present work is testament to Valtat’s profound originality circa 1900, his ability to make the contemporary techniques his own and, furthermore, to anticipate them. In this portrait of a child, which is not without comparison to those of Berthe Morisot, the short, staccato, fragmented brushstrokes, full of daylight, are decidedly Impressionist with a masterful lightness of touch. To the vivid dashes of pure vermilion red are added rather un-naturalistic spots of purple for the shadows of the face and hands with a daring that foretells that of the great Fauves.