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Lot Essay
Drawn by the allure of remote landscapes and exotic cultures, like many contemporaries of his time, French-born Jacques Majorelle sought inspiration beyond the boundaries of Continental Europe. Traveling and painting throughout Africa, Majorelle eventually settled in Morocco, where he lived from 1917.
It is to this period of exploration and travel that the present lot belongs, recording in minute detail the topography and architecture of a land that seemed both preserved from, and alien to, Western culture.
Emphasizing the sharp verticality of the stepped mountain village, Majorelle exploited the height of his canvas, recording the flat, rock-hewn houses along a continuous diagonal that cuts across the centre of the canvas. To underscore the desolate nature of the rocky terrain, a muted palette of flat blues and greys is employed throughout the composition. The overall effect is of a relentlessly arid and seemingly unending mountain expanse, where even the small patch of sky, visible at the top right of the canvas becomes an echo of the slate grey landscape below.
Two figures climb their way along a craggy path, activating the scene as they move beneath the heavy sun. Their reduced scale underscoring the vast openness of the landscape beyond.
It is to this period of exploration and travel that the present lot belongs, recording in minute detail the topography and architecture of a land that seemed both preserved from, and alien to, Western culture.
Emphasizing the sharp verticality of the stepped mountain village, Majorelle exploited the height of his canvas, recording the flat, rock-hewn houses along a continuous diagonal that cuts across the centre of the canvas. To underscore the desolate nature of the rocky terrain, a muted palette of flat blues and greys is employed throughout the composition. The overall effect is of a relentlessly arid and seemingly unending mountain expanse, where even the small patch of sky, visible at the top right of the canvas becomes an echo of the slate grey landscape below.
Two figures climb their way along a craggy path, activating the scene as they move beneath the heavy sun. Their reduced scale underscoring the vast openness of the landscape beyond.