Henri le Sidaner

Galeries Georges Petit, Paris
Newhouse Galleries, New York (acquired by 1928)
Private Collection, United States (and sold: Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, November 3, 1978, lot 513)
Richard Green Fine Paintings, London (acquired by 1978)
Galerie Walter Klinkoff, Inc., Montreal
Private Collection, Ontario
Sale: Heffel Fine Art Auction House, Toronto, April 25, 2013, lot 7
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Paris, Société nationale des beaux arts, Salon, 1918

Yann Farinaux-Le Sidaner, Le Sidaner, L'Oeuvre peint et gravé, Paris, 1989, no. 380, illustrated p. 154

This work is in very good condition. The canvas is unlined. The edges are reinforced with tape. The surface is extremely richly textured and the impasto is well preserved. Under UV light some thin strokes of inpainting are visible at the extreme upper right corner and right edge, as well as a few tiny pindots in places along the extreme perimeter, likely to address prior frame abrasion. Otherwise fine.
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.

At the turn of the century, Henri Le Sidaner felt a sudden ambition to cultivate a garden in the countryside away from the bustling streets of Paris. According to his son, Rémy Le Sidaner, the artist was seized with a passionate desire: “He longed to plan a garden of his own, in which the landscape would be designed by him personally and in which he could achieve his favorite light effects. He mentioned this project to Auguste Rodin, who directed him to the Beauvais area. A potter living in Beauvais, answering to the name of Delaherche, recommended the village of Gerberoy” (Rémy Le Sidaner, quoted in Yann Farinaux-Le Sidaner, op. cit., p. 14). In 1904, Le Sidaner purchased a cottage in Gerberoy and immediately set out to enlarge both the cottage and the grounds. The artist's creative efforts were particularly focused on the flower garden, which provided him with an endless source of inspiration and a wealth of new subject matter.

Painted in 1917, the present work emphasizes the artist’s clear delight in capturing varying degrees of light. Rémy wrote of his father's pleasure when he came across such glorious effects whilst out walking: “my father would give me his usual sign and we would stop still whilst he scrutinized the horizon, committing what he saw to memory... He often made a color sketch of the site, but this had nothing to do with the effect, which would later be committed to canvas in his studio from memory alone; they were too fleeting and too changeable to be painted on the spot" (Rémy Le Sidaner, "Le Peintre Henri Le Sidaner tel que je l'ai connu" in Henri le Sidaner (1862-1939) (exhibition catalogue), Musée Marmottan, Paris, 1989, p. 11). As Camille Mauclair observes, the absence of figures intensifies their role in Le Sidaner’s hushed scene: “he considered that the silent harmony of things is enough to evoke the presence of those who live among them. Indeed, such presences are felt throughout his works. Deserted they may be but never empty” (Camille Mauclair, Henri Le Sidaner, Paris, 1928, p. 12).