Maximilien Luce

Philippe Cazeau, Paris
Robert Rice Gallery, Houston (sale: Sotheby's, New York, 18th October 1984, lot 115)
Francis E. Fowler III, Los Angeles (purchased at the above sale; sale: Sotheby's, New York, 14th May 1998, lot 142)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Denise Bazetoux, Maximilien Luce, Catalogue raisonné, Paris, 1986, vol. II, no. 1036, illustrated p. 257

The canvas is not lined. Examination under UV light reveals some scattered spots of retouching: to each of the corners, at the centre of the lower edge, towards the upper part of the left edge, and a few further tiny spots in places. There are a few tiny flecks of paint loss to the blue pigment of the water on the left hand side and a further tiny spot of paint loss to the houses at the left hand side. 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."

In the spring of 1892, Maximilien Luce travelled to London with his friend and fellow painter, Camille Pissarro. The excitement felt by the artists in their new setting is recorded in Pissarro’s letter home to another friend Octave Mirbeau: 'I’m at Kew, taking advantage of this exceptional weather to throw myself headlong into my plein air studies in this stunning park…. Dear friend, what trees! What lawns! What lovely imperceptible undulations of the countryside! It’s a dream' (quoted in Joachim Pissarro & Claire Durand-Ruel Snollaerts, Pissarro: Catalogue critique des peintures, Paris, 2005, vol. III, p. 616).

Together Pissarro and Luce took in the sights and sounds of the city and, on their return to Paris, produced some of the most beautiful renderings of London in the Post-Impressionist style, translating their enthusiasm into bold, beautiful canvases. They were following in the footsteps of Impressionist master Claude Monet, who first visited London in 1870 and whose series of views of the Houses of Parliament are today housed in museums across the world; these are even cited as the most valuable colour record of the Victorian fogs. The present work pays homage to what is perhaps the most iconic example of them all, Impression, Soleil levant, whose title gave rise to the term ‘Impressionism’.

Soleil sur la Tamise depicts the Thames in the pointillist style for which Luce is most celebrated, glowing with the pink hues cast by the setting sun. The rhythmic brushwork of the divisionist technique gives form to a glittering horizon and glinting reflection on the water surface. Almost the entirety of Luce’s London production focused on representations of the river, enveloped in the hazes of the capital city. The present work is a celebration of a particular time and place, when the artist was at the height of his pointillist prowess, inspired by new surrounds, and instilling in his canvas a palpable sense of serenity.