Gustave Loiseau

Durand-Ruel, Paris
Galerie Yves Chalvin, Lyon (and sold: Sotheby's, London, February 8, 2006, lot 419)
Acquired at the above sale

The work is in very good condition. The work is not lined. There is rich impasto, especially in the lower right hand quadrant. There is slight frame abrasions to the edges. There are artist's pinholes in the four corners. There is minor craquelure in the sky. Under UV light, the varnish obscures further reading, but there is no apparent inpainting.
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.

Paris, Place de l’Étoile, avenue Wagram exemplifies Gustave Loiseau’s life-long fascination for Paris and its streets. The present work’s rich surface, composed using spontaneous brushwork and areas of thickly applied paint, highlights the artist's instinctive use of Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist techniques which he derived from his close relationship with Claude Monet. Loiseau was a painter of landscapes and of modern urban life, and he captures in the present work the bustling nature of city life in his swirling, rhythmic brushstrokes. Despite the rigid architecture of the city, what prevails is the effect of light and color rather than a concern for the industrial.

The excitement and spectacle of the city at the fin-de-siècle is brilliantly evoked by the artist’s handling of paint and the elegant composition. As part of the ambitious reforms Napoleon III introduced during the 1860s, Haussmann was charged with masterminding a radical reconfiguration of Paris. Many parts of the medieval city were razed to provide space for an extensive grid of straight roads, avenues and boulevards. The "Haussmannization" of Paris which is celebrated today as the precursor to modern urban planning, met with admiration and scorn in equal measure at the time—not least because of the staggering 2.5 billion francs spent on the project. Haussmann’s renovations provided the perfect setting for a burgeoning middle-class, whose appetite for modern painting far outstripped that of the established aristocracy.