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drawing of a painting of a person laying down on a beachan image of a painting of a desert scene with a person laying on the groundan oil painting of desert scene with desert scene in the backgroundan image of a piece of paper with a white backgrounda picture of a picture of a picture of a picture of a picture of a picture of a picture of a picture of a picture of a picturea man that is standing in front of a painting
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Maurice DENIS Seaweed Fire by the Sea – 1894 Tempera on paper Signed with the monogram ‘M/A/V/D’ in the bottom right-hand corner 50 x 98.3 cm Provenance: The artist’s studio, then by inheritance Private collection, 2013 Galerie Antoine Laurentin, Paris Galerie Enora, Paris, March 2016  Eric Gillis Fine Art, Brussels Acquired from the latter by the current owner on 10 March 2017 Louis Grandchamp des Raux Collection Exhibitions: Morlaix, Musée de Morlaix, Perros-Guirec, Maison des Traouieros, ‘Maurice Denis in Perros-Guirec’, July–August 1985 Pont-Aven, Pont-Aven Museum, ‘Maurice Denis and Brittany: The Pont-Aven Lesson’, June–October 2009, reproduced on p. 28 Granville, Richard Anacréon Museum of Modern Art, ‘Maurice Denis au fil de l’eau’, April–September 2013, reproduced on p. 46 Brussels, Eric Gillis Fine Arts, 1785–1919: Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture, October 2017, catalogue no. 19, no. 7, p. 70, reproduced in colour on p. 71 This work is listed in the archives of the Maurice Denis catalogue raisonné compiled by Claire Denis and Fabienne Stahl under catalogue number 894.1022. Tempera on paper; signed with the monogram lower right; 19 3/4 x 38 3/4 in. In this large work on paper, Maurice Denis beautifully illustrates the lesson Paul Gauguin gave to Paul Sérusier for the creation of *Le Talisman* (Paris, Musée d’Orsay). Denis himself recounted the words, emphasising this synthetic and subjective approach to colour: ‘How do you see these trees? They are yellow. Well then, use yellow; that shadow, which is rather blue, paint it with pure ultramarine; those red leaves? Use vermilion. ’ In this *Seaweed Fire by the Sea*, the artist applies Synthetism boldly, with flat areas of vivid colour and a radical simplification of forms. By placing the horizon line high on the canvas, he draws inspiration from the Japanese prints that so fascinated the Nabis. Apart from this straight line, all the other lines are curves. This study for a project that has not been identified is inspired by a Breton coastline, possibly Le Pouldu, according to a traditionally accepted attribution. Maurice Denis showed a particular fondness for this Breton town, near Pont-Aven, where he stayed during the summer of 1899 and produced, notably, *Maternité au Pouldu* (Pont-Aven Museum) and *Baigneuses*, *Beach at Le Pouldu* (Paris, Petit Palais) (fig. 1). The motif originates from the burning of seaweed on the shore, a practice intended to produce iodine, which was then used in agriculture, pharmacy and photography. The stylised swirls of white smoke, at the heart of the composition, correspond to the undulating lines of the sand dunes and echo those of the clouds. The four elements – earth, water, air and fire – are united by a harmonious colour palette blending blues and oranges painted in tempera. The decorative nature of the work is accentuated by the use of the reverse side of a wallpaper, whose abstract patterns show through faintly. From the very beginning, the Nabis took an interest in wall decoration, demonstrating a keen interest in the decorative arts as part of a desire to abolish the hierarchy of the arts. With this in mind, both Paul-Élie Ranson and Maurice Denis tried their hand at designing wallpaper. In 1893, the year prior to the creation of this work, Denis produced a series of gouache panels, including *Les Bateaux jaunes* (Fig. 3) and *Les Bateaux roses* (Fig. 2), designed to be reproduced as wallpaper. Fig. 1: Maurice Denis, *Baigneuses, plage du Pouldu*, 1899, oil on canvas, Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris Fig. 2: Maurice Denis, *Les bateaux roses*, 1893, gouache on cardboard Fig. 3: Maurice Denis, *Les bateaux jaunes*, 1893, watercolour, pencil and gouache on paper, private collection Maurice DENIS 50 x 98.3 cm In this large work on paper, Maurice Denis beautifully illustrates the advice Paul Gauguin gave to Paul Sérusier regarding the creation of *Le Talisman* (Paris, Musée d’Orsay). Denis himself recounted these words, emphasising this synthetic and subjective approach to colour: “How do you see these trees? They’re yellow. Well, use yellow; that shadow, which is rather blue, paint it with pure ultramarine; those red leaves? Use vermilion.” In this painting, *Feu de Goémon Devant la Mer*, the artist takes the ideas of Synthetism and applies them boldly, with flat areas of bright colour and a radical simplification of forms. By placing the horizon line high on the canvas, he draws inspiration from the Japanese prints that so fascinated the Nabis. With the exception of this straight line, all the others are curved. This study for a project, as yet unidentified, is inspired by the Brittany coast, traditionally thought to be Pouldu. Maurice Denis was particularly fond of this spot in Brittany, near Pont-Aven, where he stayed during the summer of 1899 and where he painted *Maternité au Pouldu* (Musée de Pont-Aven) and *Les Baigneuses, Plage de Pouldu* (Paris, Petit Palais) (ill. 1). The subject is the burning of seaweed on the shore, a practice that produces iodine, which was used at the time in agriculture, pharmaceuticals and photography. The stylised spirals of white smoke at the centre of the composition mirror the undulating lines of the dunes and echo those of the clouds. The four elements – earth, water, air and fire – are united by a harmonious colour palette blending blues and oranges, painted in tempera. The decorative nature of the work is accentuated by the fact that the abstract patterns of the wallpaper design on the reverse show through very faintly. From the very beginning, the Nabis took an interest in wall decoration, demonstrating a keen interest in the decorative arts as part of their shared desire to do away with any hierarchy amongst the arts. With this principle in mind, Paul-Élie Ranson and Maurice Denis both worked on designing wallpaper. In 1893, the year before this work was created, Denis produced a series of gouache panels intended for wallpaper, including *Les Bateaux Jaunes* (ill. 3) and *Les Bateaux Roses* (ill. 2). Fig. 1: Maurice Denis, Baigneuses, plage du Pouldu, 1899, oil on canvas, Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-arts de la Ville de Paris Fig. 2: Maurice Denis, Les bateaux roses, 1893, gouache on cardboard Fig. 3: Maurice Denis, Les bateaux jaunes, 1893, watercolour, pencil and gouache on paper, private collection
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About the sale The Louis Grandchamp des Raux Collection
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Auction time 10/24/2026 at 4:00 PM
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