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450
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Emile BERTIN (1878–1957)
See original version (French)
450
-
Emile BERTIN (1878–1957)
See original version (French)
Estimate €2,000 - €3,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Emile BERTIN (1878–1957)
Bidart, the bustling Erretegia beach, 1950
Oil on canvas, signed and dated in the lower right-hand corner.
65 x 81 cm
(Restored)
A resident of Bidart by choice, Emile Bertin arrived on the Basque Coast around 1920. In 1926, he commissioned his friend and collaborator, the architect Henri RATEAU, to build the Villa Iduzkia, situated between the village road and the coastal path leading to Uhabia. Enamoured with this village perched above the cliffs, he painted various works in a documentary and promotional style. Bidart Town Hall, in fact, keeps one of his paintings on display in its premises.
This work depicts the heyday of post-war tourism development on the Basque Coast. From the 1930s onwards, Erretegia beach was subject to developments aimed at boosting coastal tourism. Our painting depicts, at the foot of the hill, a building that no longer exists. It was intended to accommodate summer visitors enjoying a swim in the waters of the ‘Côte Sauvage’.
In the style of a poster, the figures walking along the beach might suggest a blue, white and red procession, hinting at a certain desire to promote post-war national tourism.
From a colourist’s perspective, the interplay of texture and the choice of pigments remind us just how much this Marne cliff can alter the colour of the ocean and the cliff itself, depending on the weather conditions. Just like the swell, which is here subtly emphasised by blocks of colour.
On closer inspection, one can also deduce that it is summer by observing the clouds. From this vantage point, the Trois Couronnes are visible, and yet our painting depicts instead only a thick, black, threatening cloud: the Brouillarta is on its way!
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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