Lot Essay
THE PRESENT MONOTYPE WAS EXECUTED DURING GAUGUIN'S STAY IN TAHITI IN ABOUT 1899. IT IS THE ONLY KNOWN STILL LIFE AMONGST THE ARTIST'S ENTIRE OEUVRE OF MONOTYPES AND ONE WHICH RICHARD FIELD GROUPS TOGETHER WITH ORIENTAL HEAD (F.131) AND THE FRONTISPIECE OF NOA NOA (F.124) AND DESCRIBES AS A 'JEWEL-LIKE CORNER OF GAUGUIN'S OEUVRE' (OP. CIT. P.38)
OF ALL GAUGUIN'S MONOTYPES ILLUSTRATED BY FIELD THE BLUE CERNES WHICH OUTLINE THE INDIVIDUAL FORMS IN THIS PRINT APPEAR THE MOST STRONGLY DELINEATED. THIS LINKS THE WORK TO THE ARTIST'S EARLIER CLOISONNé STYLE OF CIRCA 1888 ALTHOUGH THE DESIGN AND PALETTE IS ALTOGETHER EXOTIC AND 'CONTEMPORARY'.
WILDENSTEIN RECORDS FOUR STILL LIVES PAINTED IN OIL IN 1899, AND THE PRESENT WORK IS PARTICULARLY RELATED TO THéIèRE, CRUCHE ET FRUITS (W. 591; LOCATION UNKNOWN, SEE FIG. 1) A RELATED DRAWING IS ALSO RECORDED (VIZZARONA NO. 20652). IN COMPARISON TO THE RELATED OIL, THE PLACE OF THE TEAPOT IS TAKEN BY GENEROUSLY SIZED AND BRIGHTLY COLOURED FRUITS, AND THE FLORAL WALLPAPER BACKGROUND IS REDUCED AT THE UPPER RIGHT, INCREASING THE CONTRAST OF THE BOWL OF FRUIT AGAINST THE LIGHTER COLOURED WALL.
THERE IS A COMPARISON TO BE MADE WITH THE STILL LIFE PAINTINGS OF CéZANNE (OF WHICH GAUGUIN OWNED AT LEAST ONE) BUT THE EXOTIC ELEMENTS AND THE SOFT SUFFUSION OF THE COLOURS BEAR GAUGUIN'S UNMISTAKABLE MARK. COMMENTING ON THE LATER NATURE MORTE AUX POMMES ET FLEURS (W. 631), RICHARD BRETHEL WRITES 'GAUGUIN'S RELATIONSHIP ... WAS FAR FROM A SUBSERVIENT ONE. GAUGUIN MADE A STILL LIFE THAT IS AT ONCE AN HOMAGE TO CéZANNE AND A SUBVERSION OF ITS PROTOTYPE' (THE ART OF PAUL GAUGUIN, WASHINGTON, 1988, P. 459, NO. 255)
THE BACKING OF THE MONOTYPE IS MADE UP OF A PORTION OF THE COVER LITHOGRAPH BY CAMILLE MARTIN FOR THE SECOND YEAR OF L'ESTAMPE ORIGINALE. L'ESTAMPE ORIGINALE WAS PUBLISHED BY ANDRé MARTY AS A QUARTERLY ISSUE BETWEEN MARCH 1893 AND SPRING 1895. IT FEATURED THE WORK OF SEVENTY-FOUR MAINLY FRENCH, BELGIAN AND BRITISH CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS. GAUGUIN HAD CONTRIBUTED THE LITHOGRAPH MANAO TUPAPAO OF 1894 TO THE PUBLICATION.
FIG 1. THéIèRE, CRUCHE ET FRUIT, 1899, OIL ON CANVAS
OF ALL GAUGUIN'S MONOTYPES ILLUSTRATED BY FIELD THE BLUE CERNES WHICH OUTLINE THE INDIVIDUAL FORMS IN THIS PRINT APPEAR THE MOST STRONGLY DELINEATED. THIS LINKS THE WORK TO THE ARTIST'S EARLIER CLOISONNé STYLE OF CIRCA 1888 ALTHOUGH THE DESIGN AND PALETTE IS ALTOGETHER EXOTIC AND 'CONTEMPORARY'.
WILDENSTEIN RECORDS FOUR STILL LIVES PAINTED IN OIL IN 1899, AND THE PRESENT WORK IS PARTICULARLY RELATED TO THéIèRE, CRUCHE ET FRUITS (W. 591; LOCATION UNKNOWN, SEE FIG. 1) A RELATED DRAWING IS ALSO RECORDED (VIZZARONA NO. 20652). IN COMPARISON TO THE RELATED OIL, THE PLACE OF THE TEAPOT IS TAKEN BY GENEROUSLY SIZED AND BRIGHTLY COLOURED FRUITS, AND THE FLORAL WALLPAPER BACKGROUND IS REDUCED AT THE UPPER RIGHT, INCREASING THE CONTRAST OF THE BOWL OF FRUIT AGAINST THE LIGHTER COLOURED WALL.
THERE IS A COMPARISON TO BE MADE WITH THE STILL LIFE PAINTINGS OF CéZANNE (OF WHICH GAUGUIN OWNED AT LEAST ONE) BUT THE EXOTIC ELEMENTS AND THE SOFT SUFFUSION OF THE COLOURS BEAR GAUGUIN'S UNMISTAKABLE MARK. COMMENTING ON THE LATER NATURE MORTE AUX POMMES ET FLEURS (W. 631), RICHARD BRETHEL WRITES 'GAUGUIN'S RELATIONSHIP ... WAS FAR FROM A SUBSERVIENT ONE. GAUGUIN MADE A STILL LIFE THAT IS AT ONCE AN HOMAGE TO CéZANNE AND A SUBVERSION OF ITS PROTOTYPE' (THE ART OF PAUL GAUGUIN, WASHINGTON, 1988, P. 459, NO. 255)
THE BACKING OF THE MONOTYPE IS MADE UP OF A PORTION OF THE COVER LITHOGRAPH BY CAMILLE MARTIN FOR THE SECOND YEAR OF L'ESTAMPE ORIGINALE. L'ESTAMPE ORIGINALE WAS PUBLISHED BY ANDRé MARTY AS A QUARTERLY ISSUE BETWEEN MARCH 1893 AND SPRING 1895. IT FEATURED THE WORK OF SEVENTY-FOUR MAINLY FRENCH, BELGIAN AND BRITISH CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS. GAUGUIN HAD CONTRIBUTED THE LITHOGRAPH MANAO TUPAPAO OF 1894 TO THE PUBLICATION.
FIG 1. THéIèRE, CRUCHE ET FRUIT, 1899, OIL ON CANVAS