353 - Richard Edward MILLER (1875–1943)

Richard Edward MILLER (1875–1943) Sailboats on the Seine near Giverny, c. 1910 Oil on canvas, signed lower right 65 x 81 cm A copy of a certificate of authenticity from Ms. Marie-Louise Kane, dated April 7, 2006, will be provided to the buyer. Considered one of the leading figures of American Impressionism, Richard Miller was born in St. Louis, Missouri. With a solid academic background from the School of Fine Arts in his hometown, Miller won a scholarship in 1899 to complete his training in Europe. He chose to settle in Paris and attended the Académie Julian regularly, where he met many fellow Americans who, like him, were eager to benefit from the guidance of two excellent teachers, Jean-Paul Laurens and Benjamin Constant. As early as 1900, he exhibited at the Salon, earning the esteem of Parisian institutions with works characterized by a form of austere realism. However, very quickly, Miller broke free from this dark style of painting—influenced by Parisian modernity—to adopt a style dominated by light hues. His “conversion” to the Impressionist aesthetic took shape after a first visit to Giverny in 1905, followed by his move the next year into a rented house not far from Monet’s property. Miller would remain in Giverny until the early 1910s, ensuring the “Giverny Group” a reputation that has endured ever since. Considered one of the finest representatives—alongside his friends Frederick Frieseke and Lawton Parker—of this brilliant American colony settled in Normandy, Richard Miller went on to further develop the plein air style so dear to the Impressionist painters. Beautiful subjects observed in a welcoming, human-scale countryside characterize some of the most enchanting works of this “Giverny Group.” In them, Richard Miller effortlessly expresses his love for luminous painting that magnifies the atmospheres of everyday life observed with warmth. Among this collection of paintings created in Giverny—the most sought-after because they are the most accomplished—a few rare landscapes with broader vistas stand out. Such is the case with this significant canvas depicting the colorful bustle of sails dotting the banks of the Seine. Leaning on the quay’s railing, a few onlookers—including a sailor—contemplate the ever-changing spectacle of these sails, which seem to envelop the chalk cliff edged with patches of green. Richard Miller’s Impressionist style does not hesitate to apply color in thick, dense strokes. The composition gains not only vitality but also powerful energy. The rosy-orange hues of the sails and the cliff balance the patches of green before blending into the bluish twilight of the foreground. The color harmonies that enliven the water’s surface are enchanting and serve as a reminder of the importance of this river, the Seine, in the rise of Impressionism. A mature work, dating from the artist’s final years in Giverny, this composition passionately expresses his ability to capture the present moment—the end of a day on the banks of the Seine—while preserving the sense of balance characteristic of this artist’s greatest works. Sought after by most major American museums—from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to the Art Institute of Chicago and the Corcoran Gallery in Washington—Richard Miller is also represented in the collections of the Musée d’Orsay. This painting, by an artist who remains relatively unknown in France and whose most prolific years were spent in Giverny as well as in Saint-Jean-du-Doigt (Finistère) in 1912 and 1913, bears the hallmark of a vibrant Impressionism infused with a vigorous and independent spirit.