Camille Pissarro

Galerie Durand-Ruel, Paris (acquired directly from the artist in April 1888)
Madame de La Chapelle, Paris (acquired from the above in 1950)
Sam Salz, New York (acquired from the above)
Jacques Gelman (acquired from the above in December 1952)
Sale: Sotheby's, London, 21st April 1971, lot 16
Oscar Homolka (sale: Sotheby's, London, 16th April 1975, lot 32)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Paris, Galerie Durand-Ruel, Tableaux, pastels et gouaches par Camille Pissarro, 1921, no. 34
London, The Lefevre Gallery, XIX and XX Century French Paintings and Drawings, 1966, no. 7, illustrated in the catalogue

François Thiébault-Sisson, 'La Vie artistique. Camille Pissarro et son œuvre', in Le Temps, 30th January 1921, p. 3
Ludovic-Rodo Pissarro & Lionello Venturi, Camille Pissarro, son art - son œuvre, Paris, 1939, vol. I, no. 490, catalogued p. 150; vol. II, no. 490, illustrated pl. 100 (titled Soleil couchant. Côte des Grouettes, Pontoise)
Janine Bailly-Herzberg, Correspondance de Camille Pissarro, Paris & Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône, 1980, vol. I, no. 251, mentioned p. 313
Joachim Pissarro & Claire Durand-Ruel Snollaerts, Pissarro. Catalogue critique des peintures, Paris, 2005, vol. II, no. 599, illustrated in colour p. 404

The canvas is lined. There is a milky varnish preventing UV light from fully penetrating, however examination under UV light reveals some scattered areas of retouching within the sky and a further small area of retouching to the right hand side of the field. There are some fine lines of craquelure in places, primarily to the sky. 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. 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 in 1879, Soleil couchant, Pontoise depicts a landscape in the vicinity of the town of Pontoise, where Pissarro lived from 1866 until 1883. In deciding to move to Pontoise, the artist was partly guided by a desire to separate himself from the influence of his predecessors, the established French landscape painters, and to depict an environment scarcely recorded by other masters previously. Located some twenty-five miles northwest of Paris, Pontoise was built on a hilltop, with the river Oise passing through it, elements which made it a highly picturesque environment in which to paint en plein air. The town’s economy included agriculture as well as industry, and it was also an important centre of poultry and vegetable supplies, all of which offered Pissarro a wide range of subjects, from crowded semi-urban genre scenes, views of roads and factories, to farmers working on the fields and isolated landscapes devoid of human presence. In the present composition, a solitary figure is visible walking through the field on the left.

Depicting a lush, green meadow with the rolling hills in the background, the present work exemplifies the height of Pissarro’s Impressionist style, painting with his easel in the midst of the landscape, and capturing its essence in swift, spontaneous brushstrokes, without any preparatory sketches. The partly overcast sky adds a dramatic note to the scene, while the sun rays emerge between the clouds, bathing the meadow in golden hues. Joachim Pissarro observed: ‘During his years in Pontoise, Pissarro was deeply involved with the Impressionist group and was seen not only as a committed Impressionist artist until at least 1882, but also as an ardent defender of the group’s function as an alternative to the Salons. In fact, he created the legal structure of the Impressionist group by establishing the only legal document defining its purpose and aim. He was the only artist to exhibit in all eight Impressionist exhibitions’ (Joachim Pissarro, Camille Pissarro, London, 1993, p. 90).