305-1 - Serge CHARCHOUNE (1888–1975)

Serge CHARCHOUNE (1888–1975) Beethoven "Quasi Moon Sonata(?) at the Keyboard," 1969 Oil on canvas Signed lower right Inscribed “13 rue de Chatillon 92 Vanves,” signed and titled on the reverse. Dated in pencil on the stretcher 70 x 73 cm - 23 ½ x 28 ¾ in. This work will be included in the catalogue raisonné of Serge Charchoune’s work, currently in preparation. A letter of inclusion from the Serge Charchoune Committee will be provided to the buyer. Provenance: Private collection, Paris, 1988. Christie’s Paris, October 9, 2013, lot 171. Prince Shahram Pahlavi Collection, London. In *Beethoven* (1969), Serge Charchoune does not seek to depict the composer, but rather to convey his energy. The painting becomes a musical equivalent. The forms repeat and intertwine, like musical motifs. The structure is rhythmic: variations, repetitions, tensions. Nothing is descriptive—everything stems from an inner movement. Color plays the role of tonality: it modulates space and creates visual harmonies. Any figurative elements that remain are absorbed into this orchestration. Thus, Charchoune does not paint Beethoven, but rather a musical thought transposed into painting—an inhabited abstraction, almost sonic. Expert: Cabinet Maréchaux info@cabinetmarechaux.com + 33 1 44 42 90 10 Please contact the firm for condition reports.