Gustave Loiseau

The artist's studio (and sold: Paris, April 27, 1936)
Galerie Durand-Ruel, Paris (acquired at the above sale)
Mme Marie-Louise d'Alayer (née Durand-Ruel) (and sold: Sotheby's, London, June 23, 1993, lot 185)
Private Collection, London
Sale: Christie's, London, February 8, 2005, lot 257
Acquired at the above sale

This work is in good overall condition. The canvas is not lined. UV examination reveals some scattered small spots and lines of retouching in places, mainly concentrated towards the upper left corner. There is a thin line of craquelure to the upper left quadrant with some associated very minor paint losses.
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.

Gustave Loiseau’s Peupliers au bord de l'Eure is a wonderful evocation of the French countryside. In his landscapes, Loiseau often experimented with a high horizon line and created a number of paintings dominated by wild vegetation. The present work’s rich surface, composed using spontaneous brushwork and areas of thickly applied paint, exemplifies the artist's instinctive use of Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist techniques which he derived from his close relationship with Claude Monet (see fig. 1).

Indeed, underlying the beauty of this painting is a subject with special significance for citizens of France. During the French Revolution the poplar had been selected as the tree of liberty. Paul Tucker tells us that “the reasons for this choice remain obscure, but it was most likely due to the derivation of the name from the Latin populous, which means both ‘people’ and ‘popular.’ Whatever the rationale, by 1793, 60,000 poplars had been planted in France and hundreds of broadsides had been issued with the tree as a symbol of the new republic" (Paul Tucker, Monet in the 90s, The Series Paintings, Boston, 1989, p. 138). The poplar continued as an important political symbol during the nineteenth century, and in 1889, at the time of the hundred-year anniversary of the Revolution, there were again ceremonial plantings of poplars throughout the country.