Lot Essay
This painting belongs to a series of landscapes which Rivera painted in the late summer of 1918 in the Southwest of France, near Cap Ferrat. It was a period during which Rivera was intensely exploring the style of Cézanne, employing the master's use of subtle shades of greens, ochres and blues. Having formally abandoned his Cubist period earlier that year, Rivera found new sources of inspiration in the French countryside. This landscape, strongly reminiscent of another work sold at Christie's in May 1990, incorporates the slightly curved outlines of the trees which seem to lean into each other as they merge into the sky. The dry, sandy soil and the abundance of cactus plants and cyprus trees all point to a mediterranean setting.
This previously unpublished work will appear in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of the Early Works of Diego Rivera (1889-1921), currently being prepared by Dr. Ramón Favela.
Dr. Ramón Favela has confirmed the authenticity of this painting in a letter dated Santa Barbara, March 1996.
This previously unpublished work will appear in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of the Early Works of Diego Rivera (1889-1921), currently being prepared by Dr. Ramón Favela.
Dr. Ramón Favela has confirmed the authenticity of this painting in a letter dated Santa Barbara, March 1996.