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Lot Essay
Gentilly was painted in 1952, a year that was to prove one of the most significant turning-points for Nicolas de Staël. Having previously focussed on abstract painting, this year he began to explore a method of rendering the figurative world through abstract means. The rhythmic, almost rectangular forms that articulate the horizon, between the green band at the bottom and the sky above, recall the swirling, self-generating forms of de Staël's abstract paintings from the previous years, yet also clearly represent the buildings of the skyline in Gentilly, in the outskirts of Paris. The paint has been applied to the canvas in blocks, smeared in parts directly from his palette-knife, creating a mosaic-like pattern of interlocking and interweaving forms that define the landscape.
Often, it is stated that de Staël's interest in reconciling his abstract style with a visual impetus began at a football match at the Parc des Princes, where the swirl of colour, light and movement of the players was a revelation to him. However, even before this moment, he had been painting abstracted landscapes such as Gentilly that investigated precisely this territory. De Staël, unlike many of his contemporaries, did not consider abstraction and figuration as opposing styles. Others did, and many of them were shocked when his new paintings were first exhibited. However, a great number of people appreciated the visionary path that he had staked out for himself.
For de Staël, the reconciliation with the figurative world was also a reconciliation with the tradition of painting, be it in the semi-abstracted forms that comprised the religious icons of his native Russia, or the pictures of Velasquez, whom he idolised. De Staël was steeped in the culture of Europe, and was loath to see it abandoned in the wave of abstraction that was dominating art in Post-War Europe. From 1952, his paintings such as Gentilly were referential, depicting the world beyond the canvas, and yet retain the autonomy and internal energy of de Staël's abstract works. As the artist himself explained, they are "paintings of essential truth which will be major events in themselves, outside all the known rules" (de Staël, letter to Jacques Dubourg, December 1954, Nicolas de Staël, exh. cat., Paris & London 1981, p. 19).
Often, it is stated that de Staël's interest in reconciling his abstract style with a visual impetus began at a football match at the Parc des Princes, where the swirl of colour, light and movement of the players was a revelation to him. However, even before this moment, he had been painting abstracted landscapes such as Gentilly that investigated precisely this territory. De Staël, unlike many of his contemporaries, did not consider abstraction and figuration as opposing styles. Others did, and many of them were shocked when his new paintings were first exhibited. However, a great number of people appreciated the visionary path that he had staked out for himself.
For de Staël, the reconciliation with the figurative world was also a reconciliation with the tradition of painting, be it in the semi-abstracted forms that comprised the religious icons of his native Russia, or the pictures of Velasquez, whom he idolised. De Staël was steeped in the culture of Europe, and was loath to see it abandoned in the wave of abstraction that was dominating art in Post-War Europe. From 1952, his paintings such as Gentilly were referential, depicting the world beyond the canvas, and yet retain the autonomy and internal energy of de Staël's abstract works. As the artist himself explained, they are "paintings of essential truth which will be major events in themselves, outside all the known rules" (de Staël, letter to Jacques Dubourg, December 1954, Nicolas de Staël, exh. cat., Paris & London 1981, p. 19).