Lot Essay
The Wildenstein Institute has kindly confirmed the authenticity of this work.
By 1907, Vlaminck has grown tired of the fauvist style; 'The play of pure colours, the extreme orchestration into which I threw myself unrestrainedly, no longer satisfied me'. He gained renewed inspiration from Cézanne, undoubtedly fuelled, by a major Cézanne retrospective at the Salon d'Automne in 1907. He emulated Cézanne's use of colour and his perpendicular composition of still lifes. He used dark contours to outline the fruit bowl and jug and the defined edges of the tablecloth to anchor the composition. In comparison with the relatively few fauvist still lifes he painted, this work is much more than just the play of flambuoyant colours - it shows us not only the influence of Cézanne but the artist's move towards a more mature and naturalistic approach.
By 1907, Vlaminck has grown tired of the fauvist style; 'The play of pure colours, the extreme orchestration into which I threw myself unrestrainedly, no longer satisfied me'. He gained renewed inspiration from Cézanne, undoubtedly fuelled, by a major Cézanne retrospective at the Salon d'Automne in 1907. He emulated Cézanne's use of colour and his perpendicular composition of still lifes. He used dark contours to outline the fruit bowl and jug and the defined edges of the tablecloth to anchor the composition. In comparison with the relatively few fauvist still lifes he painted, this work is much more than just the play of flambuoyant colours - it shows us not only the influence of Cézanne but the artist's move towards a more mature and naturalistic approach.