Gustave Loiseau

French, (1865-1935)

Provenance

Galerie Atelier Matignon, Paris.

Mr. and Mrs. James R. Holland, New York.

MacConnal-Mason, London.

Private Collection, England; acquired from the above in March 2018.

Gladwell & Patterson, London; acquired from the above in April 2022.

The Authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Didier Imbert and this work is issued with a certificate of authenticity dated 2014.

Gustave Loiseau

French, (1865-1935)

Le Chemin en Bord de Rivière is a masterful evocation of a breezy autumnal day. Painted at the turn of the century between 1899 and 1900, at the height of Loiseau’s Impressionist period, the work embodies the young artists influence of his Impressionist forebears, most notably that of Alfred Sisley and Claude Monet.

Le Chemin en Bord de Rivière embodies the influence of Loiseau's Impressionist forebears, most notably that of Alfred Sisley and Claude Monet. Painted en plein air , Loiseau set up his easel on the river bank to capture a lone figure walking along the tow path, isolated in the midst of nature and the broad expanse of the sweeping curve of the river. Despite the season, the present landscape is far from barren, the scene enlivened by thick and staccato impasto. His rich palette full of deep browns, bright reds and vibrant greens set against the cool blue of a nearing winter’s sky and the light purples of the trees on the horizon highlight Loiseau’s virtuosity with colour.

The riverbanks of the Seine were clearly an enormous impetus for Loiseau’s style, for it was in 1899 that his early technique gave way to the virtuosic impressionist style for which the artist is best known as the artist produced a series of stunning riverscapes. Setting up his easel on the towpaths around Tournedos, Loiseau captured the boats, houses and trees of the Seine in all seasons and weather. Le Chemin en Bord de Rivière fits comfortably into this group of seminal 1899 works, displaying all the compositional maturity and technical ability that had secured Loiseau’s position as a leading Post-Impressionist artist.

Le Chemin en Bord de Rivière is a brilliant example of the artist’s drive to capture more complex conditions. Despite the season, the present landscape is far from barren, the scene enlivened by thick and staccato impasto in the path, river and also the house. Here we admire Loiseau’s quick, sweeping brushstrokes across the sky, re-creating the clouds scudding across the cool autumnal sky. His rich palette full of deep browns, bright reds and vibrant greens set against the cool blue of a nearing winter’s sky and the light purples of the trees on the horizon highlight Loiseau’s virtuosity with colour. As usual, Loiseau has layered on the paint here with precision, building up the texture that is vibrant and interesting when viewed up close, and magical once we step back to admire the scene as a whole.

Peupliers sur les bords de l’Yonne

Painted in 1907

Signed ‘G Loiseau 1907’ (lower left)

Oil on Canvas

60.3 x 73.3 cms / 23¾” x 28¾”

Gustave Loiseau

French, (1865-1935)

Provenance

Durand-Ruel, Paris; acquired from the artist on 24 July 1907.

Durand-Ruel, New York; acquired from the above in October 1908.

Schoneman Gallery, New Work; acquired from the above on 21 October 1946.

Private Collection, Beatriz Arsimendi de Plaza and Jose Luis Plaza, Venezuala.

Private Collection; acquired as a gift from the above.

Gladwell & Patterson, London; acquired from the above in 2022.

Exhibited

Durand-Ruel, Paris, Tableaux par Gustave Loiseau, 1908, no. 8.

This work will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné being prepared by Didier Imbert.