Lot Essay
"C'est encore une scène de vacances qui est ici fixée. Je reprendrai le motif plus tard pour en faire des baigneuses au bord de la mer. La ligne suit le contour de l'objet avec les suppressions et les amplifications nécessaires." (A. Jakovsky, André Lhote, 48 reproductions commentées par le peintre, Ed. Floury, Paris, 1947, no. 24).
"André Lhote's large La plage shows two young women alseep on the seashore. It is clear that they are not nymphs or goddesses but contemporary figures, indulging in the new cult of sunbathing. But the way in which they are represented is not naturalistic: it carries an echo of the idealized females depicted by Jacques-Louis David and his followers. The painting was produced at just about the time when Lempicka was in close contact with Lhote, and it is easy to see what she got from him. It is equally easy to see the link between Lhote and Picasso's experiments with neoclassicism" (E. Lucie-Smith, Art Deco Painting, Phaidon, Oxford, p. 96).
Jean Gouin has kindly confirmed the authenticity of this work.
"André Lhote's large La plage shows two young women alseep on the seashore. It is clear that they are not nymphs or goddesses but contemporary figures, indulging in the new cult of sunbathing. But the way in which they are represented is not naturalistic: it carries an echo of the idealized females depicted by Jacques-Louis David and his followers. The painting was produced at just about the time when Lempicka was in close contact with Lhote, and it is easy to see what she got from him. It is equally easy to see the link between Lhote and Picasso's experiments with neoclassicism" (E. Lucie-Smith, Art Deco Painting, Phaidon, Oxford, p. 96).
Jean Gouin has kindly confirmed the authenticity of this work.