沙伊姆．蘇丁

山姆．索茲，紐約(於1948年前購得)
威廉．勾茲，洛杉磯(於1959年前購得)
拍賣：紐約佳士得，1988年11月14日，拍品編號23
阿奎維拉畫廊，紐約
現有藏家於1988年購自上述人士處

「威廉．勾茲夫婦之收藏」，洛杉磯，榮譽軍人紀念堂，1959年，品號55，圖錄附彩色圖版
「威廉．勾茲夫婦繪畫收藏展」， 洛杉磯，城市國家銀行， 1967年， 品號30， 圖錄附彩色圖版

莫里斯．塔克曼，埃斯提．德諾與克勞斯．佩爾斯，《柴姆．蘇丁作品專題目錄》，第2冊，科隆，1993年，品號112， 圖版頁677

This work is in very good condition. Executed on artist's board laid down on canvas. Under UV light, there is a small 1/2 inch line of inpainting visible at the top of the figure's forehead. There area few lines of inpainting under the signature and a few isolated spots in the right side of the coat and on the left side in the figure's arm. One other small restoration near the center of the bottom edge. A few other pigments flouresce but appear to be original.
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.

Le Chasseur is an extraordinary example of Soutine's portraiture from the later 1920s. Soutine chose vernacular subjects as a source of inspiration for his most successful works, characterized by strong contrasts of color, commanding presence, and rhythmically charged brushstrokes. The sensual beauty of common subjects and boldness of texture in Soutine's pictures fascinated his contemporaries. Nearly six years after arriving in Paris in 1913, Soutine came to play an central role in the artist's community of Montparnasse. Among his neighbors were Chagall, Moïse Kisling, Ossip Zadkine, Henri Laurens, Alexander Archipenko, and perhaps most significantly, Modigliani (fig. 2). Jacques Lipchitz recalled the nature of their acquaintance: "During the first First World War, I introduced Soutine to Modigliani, who immediately recognized what a good painter Soutine was. When Modigliani was dying he told his dealer, Zborowski a Polish poet that he was going away but that he was leaving him a man of genius, Soutine" (Jacques Lipchitz, My Life in Sculpture, London, 1972, p. 8).

Soutine imbued common subjects with a raw beauty that set him apart from the rest of the avant garde. Most of the sitters who posed for Soutine during the 1920s were from everyday life, including waiters, choirboys, cooks, and hotel page boys (fig. 3). Usually anonymous and depicted in ambiguous spaces saturated with color, Soutine's figures convey a strong sense of individual identity. The artist's focus on the physical distinction of the subject allows a compelling character to emerge from within each abstracted form. The authors of the catalogue raisonné of Soutine's work have commented on his use of color in this regard: "In almost every picture, he concentrates on the flesh - the hands and face of the figure. Flesh as the material of things, the basic substance of life, fascinated Soutine. Paint becomes flesh in its color, texture, and wetness... In the hands and face, Soutine was able to explore all the complexities of paint and matter and to discover the very particularity of the specific person" (Maurice Tuchman, Esti Dunow & Klaus Perls, op. cit., Cologne, 1993, p. 510).

The present work is a poignant example of Soutine's dematerialization of the figure, transcending physical boundaries and articulating expression. Soutine renders a recognizable character from everyday life as removed from the natural world and drenched in a midnight blue background. Stripped of the signs of his surroundings, this anonymous sitter holds an arresting, steady gaze. The thick brushstrokes and bright splashes of red paint on the boy's face and collar capture the viewer's attention, similar to Soutine's signature in the upper right of the canvas. While many of Soutine's young male characters stare boldly at the viewer, Le Chasseur by contrast has a more modest and reserved quality. He exudes an expressive physical presence which exceeds his small, buttoned-up form. In Le Chasseur, Soutine's expressive qualities of depiction focus our attention on the physical power of the portrait itself.