Claude Monet

Sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, February 17, 1884, lot 78
Durand-Ruel, Paris (acquired at the above sale)
Marcel Bernheim, Paris
Camille Mauclair, Paris (a gift from the above in 1924)
Wildenstein & Co., New York 
Acquired from the above 

Paris, Bernheim-Jeune, Claude Monet, 1906
Berlin, Paul Cassirer, VI Ausstellung, XI. Jahrgang, 1909
Dusseldorf, loan of works from Durand-Ruel, late 1911
Leipzig, Verein Lia, Leipziger Jahrausstellung, 1912, no. 496
Paris, Marcel Bernheim, Exposition de pastels et dessin, 1923-24
Rome, Complesso del Vittoriano, Monet il maestro della luce, 2000, no. 36, illustrated in color in the catalogue
London, Royal Academy of Arts & Williamstown, Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, The Unknown Monet: Pastels and Drawings, 2007, n.n., illustrated in color in the catalogue

Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet, Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. V, Lausanne, 1991, no. P4, illustrated in color pp. 20 & 156
Joseph Baillio & Cora Michael “Chronological and Pictorial Survey of the Life and Career of Claude Monet,” in Monet (1840-1926): Tribute to Daniel Wildenstein and Katia Granoff, New York, 2007, cited p. 154, illustrated in color fig. 5

Executed on cream laid paper, laid down on canvas. The extreme edges of the sheet are taped over and there is a minor spot of paper abrasion with some associated paper loss towards the right of the lower edge. The colours are fresh and this work is in overall good 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Situated between Étretat and Fécamp on the Normandy coast, the little fishing town of Yport was visited by the artist in 1861 when he executed (and dated) another pastel showing the dramatic cliffs of this hamlet (see Daniel Wildenstein, op. cit., p. 156, no. P5).

"'Learn to draw, that's what most of you lack today.' In a letter written at the age of eighteen, Monet explained how he received this advice from Constant Troyen, the successful landscape painter...Monet wrote with obvious approval, 'as for quality the Troyons are superb and the Daubignys are to my eyes at least really beautiful....' His mood persisted after he arrived in Troyon's studio: 'Troyon seems a really good man and he doesn't mince words'" (The Unknown Monet, Pastels and Drawings (exhibition catalogue), op. cit., p. 55).  

Monet first developed and honed his talent as an artist in Normandy. His efforts with drawings and pastels was certainly spurred on by his 1859 trip to Paris where he was exposed to a number of the Barbizon artists as well to the annual Salon. Monet's skill as a draughtsman has been largely undocumented in the narrative of his career and the use of pastels are especially rare in his oeuvre. The majority of his pastels illustrate the landscape of his cherished Normandy, the region where the artist spent much of his adolescence. Interestingly, these pastels were not used as preparatory studies for oil paintings but rather are independent works in their own right.

The intimate and informal nature of Yport et falaise d’Aval makes it a flawless example of a true plein air work and this medium proves ideal for capturing the artist’s impression of the scene before him. The vivid green foreground lures the viewer into the snug seaside cottages filling the middle ground. This sparkling view is marked by a variety of depth and texture, conveying the powerful immediacy of the artist’s hand. Scholar Richard Brettell observes, “There is little doubt that the Impressionist painter Claude Monet was the greatest visual poet of Normandy” (Heather Lemonedes, Lynn Federle Orr & David Steel, Monet in Normandy, New York, 2006, p. 15).