39 - Gustave COURBET (1819–1877)

Gustave COURBET (1819–1877) Small Cliff on the Right, Jutting Out Toward the Left – 1872 Oil on canvas mounted on panel Dated and signed lower left “72 / G. Courbet.” 19 x 24.5 cm Provenance: Auction, Zurich, Koller, March 18, 1999, lot 56 Auction, Pontoise, Martinot-Savignat-Antoine, June 5–6, 1999, lot 67 Acquired at this auction by Antal Post de Bekessy (1943–2015) Then passed down through the family Auction, Paris, Sotheby’s, “An American Dynasty in Europe: The Collections of Eleanor Post Close and Antal Post de Bekessy,” December 19, 2017, lot 483 Acquired at this sale by the current owner Louis Grandchamp des Raux Collection Bibliography: *La Gazette Drouot*, No. 20, May 14, 1999, reproduced on p. 144 La Gazette Drouot, No. 25, June 18, 1999, reproduced on p. 166 Oil on canvas mounted on panel, dated and signed lower left; 7 1/2 x 9 5/8 in. Following the events of the Paris Commune, during which he was held responsible for the destruction of the column at Place Vendôme and sentenced to six months in prison—a sentence he served first at the Sainte-Pélagie prison and then at Dr. Duval’s sanatorium in Neuilly— Courbet returned to his native village of Ornans in May 1872, where he fulfilled numerous commissions. He then painted about twenty canvases depicting seascapes, including views of the cliffs of Étretat, Mouthier, and Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer in Normandy. He created these works from memory, just as he had during his imprisonment, recalling his 1869 stay by the sea. This is certainly the case with our *Petite falaise*, which is likely set in Normandy. This period of “seascapes,” as the artist himself defined them, began in 1865. The artist then turned away from the summer Mediterranean to focus on autumnal Normandy and its ever-changing skies. It was during this period that he produced his famous series of *Waves*. The painter builds up his canvases with color and uses a dense texture that he applies generously, often with a palette knife, as if to underscore his disdain for the meticulous finish characteristic of academic practice. Here, the artist demonstrates his ability to constantly renew his perspective on nature with an intensity heightened by the act of recollection. The authenticity of this work was confirmed by Jean-Jacques Fernier in a letter dated October 28, 1998. A copy may be provided to the purchaser. Gustave COURBET (1819–1877) 19 x 24.5 cm Following the events of the Paris Commune, during which he was held responsible for the destruction of the column on Place Vendôme and sentenced to six months in prison—a sentence he served first at Sainte-Pélagie and then at Dr. Duval’s asylum in Neuilly— Courbet returned to his native village of Ornans in May 1872, where he fulfilled numerous commissions. He went on to paint roughly twenty canvases depicting seascapes, among them views of Normandy, including the cliffs of Étretat and those of Mouthier or Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer. These are works he executed from memory, as he had done during his imprisonment, recalling his stay by the seaside in 1869. This is certainly the case with our *Petite Falaise à Droit*, whose location could well be in Normandy. This period of “seascapes,” as Courbet himself defined them, began in 1865. The artist had turned away from the summery Mediterranean to focus on autumnal Normandy and its ever-changing skies. It was during this period that he produced *Vagues*, his famous series of waves. The painter built up his canvases with color, using a dense impasto, which he applied generously, often with a palette knife, as if to emphasize his disdain for the meticulous finish characteristic of academic practice. Here, the artist demonstrates his ability to constantly renew his vision of nature with an intensity heightened by the act of remembering.