86 - Gustave Loiseau

Gustave Loiseau (French, 1865-1935) Vue des Environs de Paris, 1921 oil on canvas signed G. Loiseau (lower right) 18 1/2 x 24 in. (47 x 61 cm) This lot is located in Philadelphia. Framed: 27 x 32 1/2 in. Canvas is unlined. Minor deposits of surface dirt and dust; localized craquelures in scattered areas, mostly visible only under strong light; one very slight concave dip to the canvas in the center, likely a result of the weight of the impasto paint in that area; otherwise appears in overall good and stable condition. Under UV light: no apparent inpainting is visible. Additional images available upon request. The present lot is accompanied by a photo-certificate issued by André Pacitti and dated July 29, 1965. We also wish to thank Mr. Didier Imbert for kindly confirming the authenticity of the present lot, which will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of the artist's work, and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Provenance: Wally Findlay Galleries, Chicago. Acquired directly from the above by the present owner. Lot Note: Painted late in Gustave Loiseau’s career, Vue des Environs de Paris, 1921, superbly illustrates the distinctly unique style the artist developed over many years of study. Considered one of the foremost post-impressionist painters, Gustave Loiseau was greatly influenced by the generation of impressionists who came before him, including Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Camille Pissarro. Born in Paris to parents who ran a successful butcher shop, Loiseau apprenticed under a house painter and then to a decorator, but then in 1887, he received an inheritance from his grandmother that allowed him to study art full time. He briefly attended the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs and then studied for a short time under the landscape painter Fernand Just Quignon. As Loiseau was mostly self-taught, he shaped his style through close observation of nature and careful scrutiny of his impressionist forebears. Like them, he was a champion of painting en plein air, yet he developed his own artistic technique that used a distinct crosshatched brushstroke, called en treillis. This method created an evanescent quality and movement to his compositions and reveals the influence of pointillism in his work. In the present painting, this technique can clearly be seen in the almost lattice-like strokes that compose the grass and trees in the foreground and then continue up into the building roofs and sky above. The scene, which depicts buildings on the outskirts of Paris, appears to be set in autumn, as evidenced by the artist’s use of auburn and russet tones. The richly pigmented brushstrokes scintillate across the surface to create a dynamism that captures the brilliant display of colors on a crisp fall day. This work masterfully highlights Loiseau’s experimental nature and his intuitive use of both impressionist and post-impressionist techniques to capture nature as it is experienced.