Gustave Loiseau

Durand-Ruel, Paris (acquired directly from the artist in 1914)
Monsieur de Ruaz, Paris (acquired in 1942)
Sale: Ader Tajan, Paris, June 27, 1994, lot 28
Private Collection, France
Private Collection, Florida
James Francis Trezza, New York
Acquired from the above

Paris, Galeries Georges Petit, Gustave Loiseau, 1928, no. 34

The work is in very good condition. There is a lively impasto, particularly across the middle ground. Canvas is not lined. There is a very faint vertical stretcher mark. The varnish is slightly yellowed. There is some minor fine and stable craquelure in the pale pigments in the lower left quadrant and in the sky in the upper right. Small area of craquelure in the upper center of sky and along the center of the lower edge. Under UV light, there are some minor spots of retouching in the sea foam, along the vertical stretcher mark and in the lower right in the sea foam. Some original pigments fluoresce.
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.

Born in Paris in 1865, Gustave Loiseau, like many of the Impressionist painters, found inspiration in the coast of Normandy. In Les Falaises de Fécamp, Loiseau eliminates any signs of human presence, choosing instead to focus on nature itself. The composition is anchored by the dramatic cliffs shooting into the distance at left, and framed by a wide expanse of sea and sky.

Turning to this particular landscape, Loiseau, like Monet, followed in the footsteps of Gustave Courbet, who painted some of his best works on the coast of Normandy.  Heather Lemonedes writes, "Courbet first journeyed to the Normandy coast when he was twenty-one and was immediately captivated by it. He made numerous return visits in the 1860s, painting the sea and the beach and establishing a reputation as a marine painter. In 1866 the Count de Choiseul lent Courbet a house at Trouville, where the artist spent time in the company of Monet and Boudin. One critic described the sea as producing 'the same emotion as love' in Courbet" (Heather Lemonedes in Monet in Normandy (exhibition catalogue), Fine Arts Museums, San Francisco, 2006-07, pp. 82-83).