IMPRESSIONS – LEBASQUE, LEBOURG & DOMERGUE
Bellmans Modern & Contemporary sale on 19th November includes four fine Impressionist works by Henri Lebasque, Albert Lebourg and Jean-Gabriel Domergue.
Painted in 1893, the charming ‘Femme Cousant’ shows the powerful, near-pointillist influence of Paul Signac and Maximilien Luce, whom Lebasque met that year at the Salon des Independants, with repetitious strokes of unmixed colour forming a cohesive composition. The richness of the interior is enhanced by the artist revelling in a myriad of contrasting materials, colours and patterns. Lebasque married Catherine the following year and the subtle sensuality and palpable intimacy of the subject suggests she could easily be the model depicted. They went on to have two daughters, Marthe and Nono, who appear regularly in Lebasque's work, capturing the simple domestic bliss, prevalent in the present work, which formed a significant part of his oeuvre.
‘Pont Sur La Marne’ comes from the same private collection; Lebasque moved to the small town of Lagny on the banks of the Marne in 1900. The river provided constant inspiration and subject matter in the first decade of the twentieth century and, in keeping with his Impressionist contemporaries, Lebasque painted similar views of the same scene, exploring the play of light on water depending on the time of day, weather and season. The leafless trees, the fusion of green and mauve with highlights of ochre, create the harmonious, serene but invigorating atmosphere of a winter's day.
'To paint in light and joy, spontaneously, lightly and without apparent effort, seems to be the function and genius of Henri Lebasque. No learned system, laboriously constructed, no formulas, no genres, or rather he touches all of them, except the boring ones. He paints everything that lives and everything that charms: women, flowers, children, sky and water. A light, limpid air bathes his entire oeuvre, which lingers neither on serious subjects, sad effects nor muted hues: nature always seems to be celebrating with him.'
- P. Vitry, Henry Lebasque, (Georges Petit, Henry Floury, Paris, 1928)
‘La Seine à Carrières-Saint-Denis’ is a wonderfully atmospheric depiction of autumn by Lebasque’s contemporary, Albert Lebourg; this commune in the Ile-de-France region to the west of Paris was painted by both Monet and Braque. This and other sections of the Seine feature in a large number of Lebourg's paintings. The present work is a vibrant exploration of the luminosity of rain clouds at dusk which, along with the meandering river, create a masterly sense of perspective, while the rich reds and golds of autumn are reflected in the riverside buildings.
Lebourg exhibited fifty works in the fourth and fifth Impressionist Exhibitions in 1879 and 1880 alongside the likes of Monet, Degas and Pissarro. He wrote at the time that '...I will paint often at the banks of the Seine, Nanterre, Rueil, Chatou, Bougival, Port-Marly. These are a source of themes and very beautiful landscapes.'
Opening the sale is Lord and Lady W.K., a superb example of Domergue’s racing subjects. A cousin of Toulouse- Lautrec, Domergue captures all the vivacity and optimism of Paris following the First World War. His celebration of chic femininity and high society fashion is beautifully rendered in the present work, with the flowing feathers, brightly coloured dress and ornate fascinator adorning a beautiful woman, whose confidence completely overshadows the monotone grey of her suitor. Born in Bordeaux, Domergue trained at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts before winning the Prix de Rome in 1911. He also designed clothes for a number of fashion houses and declared himself 'the inventor of the pin-up'.
Auction Details
- Sale: Modern & Contemporary Art, Wednesday 19 November
- Auctioneer: Bellmans, Sussex
- Lots: 703, 704, 705, 701
- Estimate: £15,000 - £25,000, £1500 - £2,500, £4,000 - £6,000, £800 - £1,200, £3000 - £5,000, £1000 - £2,000, respectively
View the full catalogue and register to bid online here.
