Galerie Dreyfus
46
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CHARLES-FRANÇOIS GRENIER DE LACROIX,
KNOWN AS LACROIX DE MAR…
See original version (French)
46
-
CHARLES-FRANÇOIS GRENIER DE LACROIX,
KNOWN AS LACROIX DE MAR…
See original version (French)
Estimate €26,000 - €33,000
Voluntary lot
Description
CHARLES-FRANÇOIS
GRENIER DE LACROIX,
KNOWN AS LACROIX DE MARSEILLE
(MARSEILLE, 1700 – BERLIN, 1782)
Seascape at Sunset
1776
Oil on panel
21 x 38 cm
Signed and dated lower left ‘DeLacroix/1776’
Overlooking this bay, an ancient gateway – a ruin of a prestigious past – draws us
into an ethereal landscape. The sun setting on the horizon has already vanished beneath the clouds.
All that remains are a few pale pink hues diluted in a pearly mist. In the foreground, a
fisherman’s dark silhouette stands out against the horizon, whilst two women, seated further back,
provide the only touches of bright colour. In the background stands the massive tower of a
lighthouse which will soon light its beacon to take over from the sun’s rays. Finally, in the centre of the harbour, a
boat has lowered its sails. Calm reigns here. Lacroix de Marseille specialised in
imaginary seascapes, using them as a pretext for compositions in which weather conditions
are varied at will. Here, he adds the classical touch inherited from his predecessors, which consists of
referencing or reinterpreting a monument he copied in Rome during his stay, in the spirit of the
‘caprices’ that were so highly prized at the time. Nature and culture allow the art lover to compare the beauties
of the natural landscape with those of human creations in ruins, prompting reflection on the
passing of time, which spares nothing and no one.
Lacroix de Marseille (1700–82) was a French landscape painter who settled in Rome from 1750 to
1763, where he discovered both antiquity and the landscape painting tradition inherited from the previous century. Indeed,
Lorrain and Poussin 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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