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Paul GAUGUIN (1848 - 1903) The Breton Calvary
Woodcut on fin…
See original version (French)
26
-
Paul GAUGUIN (1848 - 1903) The Breton Calvary
Woodcut on fin…
See original version (French)
Estimate €4,000 - €6,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Paul GAUGUIN (1848 - 1903)
The Breton Calvary
Woodcut on fine Japanese paper
15 x 21 cm
21,5 x 26 cm the sheet annotated at the bottom on the backing sheet OPLV G/685 22 Gauguin le calvaire breton / souvenir de bretagne ) 1st edition RR
Provenance
Sale Old Master - 19th &20th Century & Contemporary prints, Sotheby's London, 12 December 1997, lot 228
Private collection
Bibliography
initial # 7
Guérin 68. Mongan, Kornfeld 50 and Joachim 50 D
A major figure in the avant-garde at the end of the XIXᵉ century, Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) found Brittany, and Pont-Aven in particular, a territory conducive to his quest for authenticity. As early as 1886, he discovered in the Breton landscapes, popular traditions and rural spirituality the foundations of an imaginary world that he perceived as preserved from industrial modernity. He formed the Pont-Aven group, a laboratory for experimentation in which he developed a new concept of painting based on the simplification of forms, the autonomy of colour and the expressive power of synthesis. Nourished by his interest in so-called "primitive" cultures, Gauguin developed a plastic language that went beyond the simple observation of reality to reveal its inner and symbolic dimensions. His influence was decisive in the emergence of symbolism, a movement that made the work of art a place of suggestion, dreams and ideas rather than a faithful representation of the visible world.
"Le Calvaire breton" was part of a crucial period in Paul Gauguin's artistic development. It was in the small villages of France's western peninsula that Gauguin first became interested in "primitive" cultures, an interest that would eventually lead him to the South Islands. Fascinated by the austere island communities on the banks of the Aven, with their local crafts and ceremonies, Gauguin produced works that were both melancholy and provocative. The influence of the region, in both medium and subject, was evident almost immediately in Gauguin's art. After his first foray into engraving with zincography, a highly advanced technique, Gauguin preferred to reflect the simplicity of coastal villages through the simplicity of wood engraving. The bucolic landscape and religious rituals of the village are evident in this work, which may have been influenced by the religious offerings he witnessed during his explorations of the region.
See original version (French)
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Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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