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Lot Essay
Although O'Conor's paintings and etchings of the Breton landscape were always devoid of figures, he occasionally introduced a human presence into his landscape drawings. A woman wearing Breton peasant costume appears in two other drawings that also feature a backdrop of trees: a charcoal showing her standing on the far bank of a river, and an ink and wash study in which she shares centre-stage with a cow. In Bretonne assise sous un arbre the sense of a pastoral idyll is even greater: now the figure sits on a grassy bank where she catches the midday sun, just out of reach of the shade-giving branches of an adjacent tree.
The hilly topography of this rare watercolour suggests that it was painted on the high ground adjacent to the Bois d'Amour in Pont-Aven. The wood itself was a popular spot for artists and promenaders, especially on Sundays, whereas the elevated paths above the river offered sunny seclusion. O'Conor no doubt admired the way the Breton peasant women were not afraid to catch the sun, unlike their Parisian counterparts whose milky complexions demanded the use of parasols for protection.
Bretonne assise sous un arbre can be dated accurately thanks to the technique the artist has used. Even when working in water-based media, O'Conor still strove to find an equivalent for the 'striped' application of oil paint that dominated his output between 1892 and 1894. Here, working on a smaller scale, O'Conor established a rippling, broadly horizontal rhythm throughout the foreground. He then contrasted this movement with the denser pattern of vertical brushstrokes applied to the foliage. By adding streaks of bodycolour to the darkest areas of the drawing, he ensured that the separate touches remained distinct and did not fuse together.
J.B.
The hilly topography of this rare watercolour suggests that it was painted on the high ground adjacent to the Bois d'Amour in Pont-Aven. The wood itself was a popular spot for artists and promenaders, especially on Sundays, whereas the elevated paths above the river offered sunny seclusion. O'Conor no doubt admired the way the Breton peasant women were not afraid to catch the sun, unlike their Parisian counterparts whose milky complexions demanded the use of parasols for protection.
Bretonne assise sous un arbre can be dated accurately thanks to the technique the artist has used. Even when working in water-based media, O'Conor still strove to find an equivalent for the 'striped' application of oil paint that dominated his output between 1892 and 1894. Here, working on a smaller scale, O'Conor established a rippling, broadly horizontal rhythm throughout the foreground. He then contrasted this movement with the denser pattern of vertical brushstrokes applied to the foliage. By adding streaks of bodycolour to the darkest areas of the drawing, he ensured that the separate touches remained distinct and did not fuse together.
J.B.