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拍品专文
CATHERINE BOULOT (OP. CIT.) HAS JUDGED THIS AMONG THE MOST 'ROBERTIAN' OF ROBERT'S LATER PAINTINGS BECAUSE IT IS A VIRTUAL PATTERN BOOK OF THE ARTIST'S FAVORITE MOTIFS. PAINTED THE YEAR AFTER HE WAS RELEASED FROM PRISON, THIS AMBITIOUS COMPOSITION SUGGESTS THAT ROBERT WAS ONCE AGAIN FLEXING THE CREATIVE MUSCLES THAT HAD BEEN ATROPHYING DURING HIS INCARCERATION, WHEN PAINT AND CANVAS HAD BEEN HARD TO COME BY AND HE WAS LARGELY CONFINED TO MAKING DRAWINGS AND DECORATING EARTHENWARE PLATES.
IN DEPICTING THIS STATELY VIEW OF AN ANCIENT VILLA IN AN IMAGINARY PARK IN THE ROMAN COUNTRYSIDE, ROBERT RETURNED TO AN AUSTERE TEMPLE DESIGN THAT HE HAD USED NOT LONG BEFORE IN AN UPRIGHT CANVAS OF SIMILAR DIMENSIONS (LA BERAUDIRE SALE, PARIS, 14 MARCH 1910, LOT 8); IN BOTH PAINTINGS, NICHES IN THE BUILDING FACADE HOLD FAMILIAR STATUES, NO DOUBT BASED ON ACTUAL ANTIQUE SCULPTURES, WHILE CLASSICAL RELIEFS LITTER THE LEFT FOREGROUND. ANALOGOUS BUILDINGS APPEAR IN A WATERCOLOR (SOLD AT SOTHEBY'S, LONDON, 6 MARCH 1957) AND IN ANOTHER PAINTING (SOLD AT CHRISTIE'S, LONDON, 6 JULY 1984) IN WHICH THE BUILDING BEARS A LATIN INSCRIPTION: 'PARVA SED APTA UTINAM VERIS IMPLEATUR AMICIS' ('SMALL BUT SUFFICIENT, WOULD THAT IT WERE FILLED WITH TRUE FRIENDS'). THE FAMILIAR MOTIF OF THE BOY SPRAWLED ON A TREE TRUNK CAN BE FOUND IN MANY OF ROBERT'S PAINTINGS, NOTABLY THE HUGE DECORATIVE PANEL THAT PASSED THROUGH THE BARDAC SALE (PARIS, 10-11 MAY 1920, LOT 33), WHILE THE CHILD WITH A WHIP WHO STRADDLES THE CAPITOLINE LION AND PRETENDS TO RIDE IT APPEARS IN THE FOUNTAIN (BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART), A WORK EXECUTED IN SAINT-LAZARE PRISON JUST A YEAR PRIOR TO THE PRESENT PAINTING.
HAVING STUDIED CLASSICAL LANGUAGES AT THE COLLGE DE NAVARRE, ROBERT HABITUALLY AMUSED HIMSELF BY APPENDING LATIN INSCRIPTIONS TO HIS PICTURES AND HE ENJOYED WORKING HIS OWN NAME INTO THEM. BENEATH THE PEDIMENT IN THE CENTER OF THE PAVILLION IS CARVED AN INSCRIPTION WHICH HAS BEEN INTERPRETED AS READING: 'DOMUS HUBERTI UTINAM VERIS IMPLEATUR AMICIS' ('HOUSE OF HUBERT. WOULD THAT IT WERE FILLED WITH TRUE FRIENDS'). HOWEVER, ON CLOSER INSPECTION IT SEEMS MORE LIKELY TO READ: 'DOMUS IMP.ERTI UTINAM VERIS IMPLEATUR AMICIS'('HOUSE OF THE EMPEROR (?). WOULD THAT IT WERE FILLED WITH TRUE FRIENDS'). WHICHEVER READING IS ACCURATE, THE INSCRIPTION ANNOUNCES A SYMBOLIC RETURN TO SOCIETY AND THE WORLD OF FRIENDS THAT HAD BEEN DENIED HIM DURING HIS IMPRISONMENT. AND FOR AN ARTIST AS INDEFATIGABLE AS ROBERT, NO FRIEND WAS EVER AS TRUE AS THE MUSE OF PAINTING.
IN DEPICTING THIS STATELY VIEW OF AN ANCIENT VILLA IN AN IMAGINARY PARK IN THE ROMAN COUNTRYSIDE, ROBERT RETURNED TO AN AUSTERE TEMPLE DESIGN THAT HE HAD USED NOT LONG BEFORE IN AN UPRIGHT CANVAS OF SIMILAR DIMENSIONS (LA BERAUDIRE SALE, PARIS, 14 MARCH 1910, LOT 8); IN BOTH PAINTINGS, NICHES IN THE BUILDING FACADE HOLD FAMILIAR STATUES, NO DOUBT BASED ON ACTUAL ANTIQUE SCULPTURES, WHILE CLASSICAL RELIEFS LITTER THE LEFT FOREGROUND. ANALOGOUS BUILDINGS APPEAR IN A WATERCOLOR (SOLD AT SOTHEBY'S, LONDON, 6 MARCH 1957) AND IN ANOTHER PAINTING (SOLD AT CHRISTIE'S, LONDON, 6 JULY 1984) IN WHICH THE BUILDING BEARS A LATIN INSCRIPTION: 'PARVA SED APTA UTINAM VERIS IMPLEATUR AMICIS' ('SMALL BUT SUFFICIENT, WOULD THAT IT WERE FILLED WITH TRUE FRIENDS'). THE FAMILIAR MOTIF OF THE BOY SPRAWLED ON A TREE TRUNK CAN BE FOUND IN MANY OF ROBERT'S PAINTINGS, NOTABLY THE HUGE DECORATIVE PANEL THAT PASSED THROUGH THE BARDAC SALE (PARIS, 10-11 MAY 1920, LOT 33), WHILE THE CHILD WITH A WHIP WHO STRADDLES THE CAPITOLINE LION AND PRETENDS TO RIDE IT APPEARS IN THE FOUNTAIN (BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART), A WORK EXECUTED IN SAINT-LAZARE PRISON JUST A YEAR PRIOR TO THE PRESENT PAINTING.
HAVING STUDIED CLASSICAL LANGUAGES AT THE COLLGE DE NAVARRE, ROBERT HABITUALLY AMUSED HIMSELF BY APPENDING LATIN INSCRIPTIONS TO HIS PICTURES AND HE ENJOYED WORKING HIS OWN NAME INTO THEM. BENEATH THE PEDIMENT IN THE CENTER OF THE PAVILLION IS CARVED AN INSCRIPTION WHICH HAS BEEN INTERPRETED AS READING: 'DOMUS HUBERTI UTINAM VERIS IMPLEATUR AMICIS' ('HOUSE OF HUBERT. WOULD THAT IT WERE FILLED WITH TRUE FRIENDS'). HOWEVER, ON CLOSER INSPECTION IT SEEMS MORE LIKELY TO READ: 'DOMUS IMP.ERTI UTINAM VERIS IMPLEATUR AMICIS'('HOUSE OF THE EMPEROR (?). WOULD THAT IT WERE FILLED WITH TRUE FRIENDS'). WHICHEVER READING IS ACCURATE, THE INSCRIPTION ANNOUNCES A SYMBOLIC RETURN TO SOCIETY AND THE WORLD OF FRIENDS THAT HAD BEEN DENIED HIM DURING HIS IMPRISONMENT. AND FOR AN ARTIST AS INDEFATIGABLE AS ROBERT, NO FRIEND WAS EVER AS TRUE AS THE MUSE OF PAINTING.