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Galerie Dreyfus
45
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CHARLES-FRANÇOIS GRENIER DE LACROIX,
KNOWN AS LACROIX DE MAR…
See original version (French)
45
-
CHARLES-FRANÇOIS GRENIER DE LACROIX,
KNOWN AS LACROIX DE MAR…
See original version (French)
Estimate €110,000 - €138,000
Voluntary lot
Description
CHARLES-FRANÇOIS
GRENIER DE LACROIX,
KNOWN AS LACROIX DE MARSEILLE
(MARSEILLE, 1700 – BERLIN, 1782)
Fishermen at Sunrise
A Storm
1762
Oil on canvas (a pair)
48.7 x 64.7 cm
The first dated and signed lower left ‘Lacroix/1762’;
The second dated and signed lower right ‘Lacroix/Roma 1762’
Certificate by René Millet
Provenance
Private collection
These two matching paintings allow us to imagine a story: that of a
sea voyage that began serenely but soon encountered a storm. In the
left-hand painting, indeed, the calm sky is undisturbed by even a breeze, to the extent that the
sails have had to be lowered. On the right, by contrast, the sea is raging, the wind is blowing and battering the vessel
as it approaches the coastal reefs dangerously closely. It is precisely through the exploration of these
contrasts and by introducing a sense of time into the interpretation of his panels that Lacroix
of Marseille made a name for himself with his seascapes, conceived in pairs. The picturesque
coexists with the sublime; a taste for romantic landscape unfolds here, encompassing the full range
of emotions, from tranquillity to dread. A masterful colourist, Lacroix de Marseille also finds
in this a pretext to paint skies rich in nuance, evoking the different hours of the day
as well as the vagaries of the weather. Here, the spirit of ‘caprice’ prevails through the invention of an
imaginary place in the tradition of his predecessor Claude Lorrain (1600–1682) or, later, his
contemporary Hubert Robert (1733–1808).
Lacroix de Marseille (1700–82) was a French landscape painter who settled in Rome from 1750 to
1763, where he discovered both classical antiquity and the landscape painting tradition inherited from the previous century. Indeed,
it was Lorrain, as well as Poussin, who pioneered this genre, in which ancient architecture—
whether depicted as it was or reimagined—abounds. However, in Lacroix de Marseille’s work, there are no majestic harbours with
rigorous perspectives, but rather a predilection for the picturesque and for a wilder
side of nature. He developed a style influenced by Claude-Joseph Vernet, whom he met during his
stay in Rome in 1751, and from whom he learnt to paint seascapes. Vernet, who had
just received a commission from the king for his famous series *Ports of France*, nevertheless
sought accuracy, whilst Lacroix preferred a more poetic vision. In his enchanted
vision of the world, the figures move with natural ease. His paintings, highly prized by art lovers of the
18th century and which he produced in abundance, varying the effects – whether nocturnal or morning scenes, calm or
stormy – can now be found in the finest private and public collections.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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