Jean Metzinger

Galerie L'Effort Moderne (Léonce Rosenberg), Paris
Mrs. Roger G. Perkins, Cleveland (Ohio) (acquired from the above in 1925)
Thence by descent

Cambridge, Harvard University, The Fogg Art Museum, 1939-40

Bulletin de l'Effort Moderne, no. 8, October 1924, illustrated

The canvas has been strip-lined. A close inspection reveals some small areas of shrinkage and stable craquelures notably in the bright green and white pigments. Examination under UV light reveals evidence of retouching, mostly to the upper central part of the composition and along the edges to cover old frame abrasion. This work is in good stable condition.
"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 1924, Paysage is a wonderful example of the “purification” or formal simplification that characterizes the post-cubist works that Jean Metzinger executed between 1922 and 1930. The mysterious equilibrium and radiance of this tree-filled landscape, with its subtle gradation of primary and secondary colors, supersedes the Cubist elements of earlier works.

A leading spokesperson for the Cubist movement since the publication of his essay Du Cubisme (On Cubism), written in collaboration with Albert Gleizes in 1912, Jean Metzinger had effectively freed himself from these early precepts by the 1920s. Following the example of Fernand Léger, Metzinger set out to simplify the forms of his compositions, purify them and geometricize them according to the Art Deco aesthetic of the 1920-30s. As Joann Moser underlines, “the original iconography of these works distinguishes them from the work of all other artists and ignites the imagination of the observer to a degree that was unimaginable in the earlier work” (Joann Moser, Jean Metzinger in retrospect (exhibition catalogue), The University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City, 1985, p. 104).

The use of multiple fields of perspective, all that remains of the Cubist principles, offsets the decorative appearance of the present composition superbly. But, in addition to this spatial complexity, it is the silent elegance of this figurative landscape and the dreamlike charm it emits, that add an almost supernatural dimension that is reminiscent of the fantastic universe of the paintings of Douanier Rousseau (see fig. 2) that Metzinger was able to admire alongside Apollinaire and Picasso in 1905-10.