1881
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Manet Monet 1879-87 Caillebotte
See also : Manet Monet 1879-87 Caillebotte
masterpiece
1880-1881 Le Déjeuner des Canotiers by Renoir
Phillips collection
Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s Le Déjeuner des canotiers (Luncheon of the Boating Party), 1880–1881, is one of the most joyful and life-affirming masterpieces of Impressionism—and indeed of modern French painting. It follows Bal du Moulin de la Galette (1876) as a grand celebration of modern leisure, friendship, and the pleasures of Parisian suburban life, but on an even more ambitious scale. The large oil on canvas (51 1/4 × 69 1/8 in. / 130.2 × 175.6 cm) depicts a group of fourteen friends and acquaintances relaxing on the balcony of the Maison Fournaise restaurant in Chatou, along the Seine, after a boating excursion. It now resides in The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., where it is one of the most beloved and frequently visited works.
A Rare Happy Masterpiece Following Le Moulin de la Galette
Like Bal du Moulin de la Galette, this painting captures the carefree spirit of the era: young people from mixed social backgrounds—artists, writers, actors, models, and boatmen—enjoying food, wine, conversation, and flirtation in the open air. Renoir painted many of the figures individually (often in the studio after initial plein-air studies), yet the final composition feels spontaneous and alive. The mood is exuberant yet intimate: laughter ripples through the group, sunlight flickers across the scene, and everyday pleasures are elevated to something monumental and timeless. Marjorie Phillips, who helped acquire it for the collection in 1923, noted that the figures transcend anecdote to become “every man, all people.”
It stands as Renoir’s last great purely Impressionist multi-figure composition before he began his more linear “Ingresque” or “dry” period in the mid-1880s.
Utmost Care in Execution
Renoir devoted extraordinary effort to the work, reworking passages extensively (evidenced by pentimenti and drying cracks visible in technical studies). No preparatory drawings survive; he developed the composition directly on the canvas, adjusting figures and relationships as he went. He spent months on the project, painting many sitters separately before unifying the scene. The result is a tightly composed masterpiece that seamlessly blends three traditional genres: portraiture (individualized, expressive faces), still life (the richly detailed table with bottles, glasses, fruit, and tableware), and landscape (the river, boats, and shimmering background foliage).
Brushwork: Realistic Delineation in Faces vs. Impressionist Strokes in Surroundings
That observation is spot-on and highlights the painting’s transitional character. In the faces and foreground figures, Renoir employs finer, more controlled brushwork and clearer contours, giving them volume, solidity, and psychological presence. The modeling feels more realistic and sculptural—cheeks glow with rosy health, eyes engage or glance away meaningfully, and forms have real mass (e.g., Gustave Caillebotte’s arm jutting into space or the rounded shoulders of the women). This marks a deliberate shift away from the pure, broken Impressionist strokes of his mid-1870s works.
In contrast, the surroundings—the river, distant boats, foliage, and even parts of the still life—retain the fluid, flickering Impressionist technique: loose, vibrant strokes that capture dappled light, reflections on glass and water, and atmospheric vibration. The background feels softer and more atmospheric, allowing the sharply defined figures to stand out monumentally against the lively setting.
This hybrid approach creates a powerful tension: the people feel immediate and present, while the environment pulses with light and movement.
Shift Toward Deeper Colors and Forms
Compared to the pale, silvery palette and dissolving forms of Bal du Moulin de la Galette (with its sun-dappled dance floor under trees), Le Déjeuner des canotiers shows richer, deeper, and more saturated colors—vibrant reds, warm oranges, lush greens, and glowing whites—offset by cooler blues and greens in the river. Forms gain greater solidity and three-dimensionality, influenced in part by Renoir’s admiration for Renaissance masters like Paolo Veronese (whose banquet scenes he loved). The composition is more structured and classical, yet still breathes with Impressionist joy and modernity. It represents Renoir at the peak of his early maturity, already sensing the limits of pure optical Impressionism and seeking greater permanence and sensuality in the human figure.
Legacy
Le Déjeuner des canotiers was exhibited at the Seventh Impressionist Exhibition in 1882, where multiple critics hailed it as the standout work of the show—praised for its freshness, compositional mastery, and “true drawing” achieved through color rather than line. It has since become an icon of the movement and of Renoir’s career.Its legacy is profound:
A Rare Happy Masterpiece Following Le Moulin de la Galette
Like Bal du Moulin de la Galette, this painting captures the carefree spirit of the era: young people from mixed social backgrounds—artists, writers, actors, models, and boatmen—enjoying food, wine, conversation, and flirtation in the open air. Renoir painted many of the figures individually (often in the studio after initial plein-air studies), yet the final composition feels spontaneous and alive. The mood is exuberant yet intimate: laughter ripples through the group, sunlight flickers across the scene, and everyday pleasures are elevated to something monumental and timeless. Marjorie Phillips, who helped acquire it for the collection in 1923, noted that the figures transcend anecdote to become “every man, all people.”
It stands as Renoir’s last great purely Impressionist multi-figure composition before he began his more linear “Ingresque” or “dry” period in the mid-1880s.
Utmost Care in Execution
Renoir devoted extraordinary effort to the work, reworking passages extensively (evidenced by pentimenti and drying cracks visible in technical studies). No preparatory drawings survive; he developed the composition directly on the canvas, adjusting figures and relationships as he went. He spent months on the project, painting many sitters separately before unifying the scene. The result is a tightly composed masterpiece that seamlessly blends three traditional genres: portraiture (individualized, expressive faces), still life (the richly detailed table with bottles, glasses, fruit, and tableware), and landscape (the river, boats, and shimmering background foliage).
Brushwork: Realistic Delineation in Faces vs. Impressionist Strokes in Surroundings
That observation is spot-on and highlights the painting’s transitional character. In the faces and foreground figures, Renoir employs finer, more controlled brushwork and clearer contours, giving them volume, solidity, and psychological presence. The modeling feels more realistic and sculptural—cheeks glow with rosy health, eyes engage or glance away meaningfully, and forms have real mass (e.g., Gustave Caillebotte’s arm jutting into space or the rounded shoulders of the women). This marks a deliberate shift away from the pure, broken Impressionist strokes of his mid-1870s works.
In contrast, the surroundings—the river, distant boats, foliage, and even parts of the still life—retain the fluid, flickering Impressionist technique: loose, vibrant strokes that capture dappled light, reflections on glass and water, and atmospheric vibration. The background feels softer and more atmospheric, allowing the sharply defined figures to stand out monumentally against the lively setting.
This hybrid approach creates a powerful tension: the people feel immediate and present, while the environment pulses with light and movement.
Shift Toward Deeper Colors and Forms
Compared to the pale, silvery palette and dissolving forms of Bal du Moulin de la Galette (with its sun-dappled dance floor under trees), Le Déjeuner des canotiers shows richer, deeper, and more saturated colors—vibrant reds, warm oranges, lush greens, and glowing whites—offset by cooler blues and greens in the river. Forms gain greater solidity and three-dimensionality, influenced in part by Renoir’s admiration for Renaissance masters like Paolo Veronese (whose banquet scenes he loved). The composition is more structured and classical, yet still breathes with Impressionist joy and modernity. It represents Renoir at the peak of his early maturity, already sensing the limits of pure optical Impressionism and seeking greater permanence and sensuality in the human figure.
Legacy
Le Déjeuner des canotiers was exhibited at the Seventh Impressionist Exhibition in 1882, where multiple critics hailed it as the standout work of the show—praised for its freshness, compositional mastery, and “true drawing” achieved through color rather than line. It has since become an icon of the movement and of Renoir’s career.Its legacy is profound:
- It exemplifies Impressionism’s celebration of modern life while pointing toward Post-Impressionist concerns with structure and form.
- Acquired by Duncan Phillips in 1923 for the then-enormous sum that helped establish his collection, it remains the heart of The Phillips Collection and a pilgrimage site for visitors.
- The painting influenced generations of artists and viewers with its optimistic humanism—transforming a simple afternoon among friends into a timeless hymn to joy, community, and the beauty of ordinary existence.
- Technically and emotionally, it bridges Renoir’s pure Impressionist phase with his later classical leanings, making it a pivotal work in his evolution.
masterpiece
1881 Petite Danseuse de Quatorze ans by Degas
wax original : National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Edgar Degas’s Little Dancer Aged Fourteen (La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans), modeled 1878–1881, stands as one of the most radical, controversial, and technically innovative sculptures of the 19th century. It is the only sculpture Degas exhibited publicly during his lifetime (at the Sixth Impressionist Exhibition in Paris in 1881). Today, the fragile original wax figure resides in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (acquired via Paul Mellon), while approximately 27–30 bronze casts (produced after Degas’s death in 1917) are dispersed in major museums worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Musée d’Orsay, and others.
The Model and Social Context
The sculpture portrays Marie Geneviève van Goethem (or van Goethem), a young petit rat (“little rat”)—the nickname for the lowest-ranking ballet students at the Paris Opéra Ballet. Born into a working-class family (father a tailor, mother a laundress), Marie and her sisters entered the ballet to escape poverty. These girls, often from modest or marginal backgrounds, endured grueling training from a young age. Many faced exploitation: low pay, physical strain, and pressure from wealthy male abonnés (subscribers) who had backstage access and frequently sought sexual favors. Marie’s older sister Antoinette occasionally worked as a prostitute to support the family. After leaving the Opéra, Marie’s life faded into obscurity; she likely died in poverty. Degas captured her at around age 14, embodying the transitional vulnerability of these young dancers—poised between childhood and the harsh realities of adult professional (and sometimes transactional) life.
Materials, Technique, and Radical Realism
Degas constructed the original as a mixed-media assemblage rather than carving or modeling in a traditional academic manner:
Reception in 1881: Scandal and Innovation
Contemporary critics reacted with a mixture of fascination and revulsion. Many found the figure “ugly,” “vulgar,” or even “monstrous”—comparing her facial features to a monkey, an Aztec, or a criminal type (invoking then-popular pseudosciences like phrenology and physiognomy). Terms like “flower of precocious depravity” or “hateful promise of every vice” reflected class prejudice: the public associated the unidealized working-class girl with moral corruption and the Opéra’s seedy underbelly. Some praised its bold realism and modernity, with Joris-Karl Huysmans hailing it as overthrowing the traditions of sculpture much as Degas had shaken painting. Degas withdrew the work after a short display and never exhibited another sculpture publicly.
The scandal stemmed from its rejection of academic ideals: instead of a graceful, timeless nymph, Degas presented a specific, contemporary adolescent—awkward, determined, and marked by her environment.
Interpretations: Realism, Exploitation, and the Gaze
Legacy
After Degas’s death, his heirs authorized bronze editions to preserve and monetize the waxes (many of which were deteriorating). Today, Little Dancer Aged Fourteen is one of the most recognizable and beloved sculptures in the world—ironically transformed from a scandalous outlier into an icon of modern art. It continues to provoke discussion about realism vs. idealization, the ethics of representation, the lives of working artists (especially young women), and the blurred line between observation and objectification.
In the broader context of Degas’s ballet oeuvre, it distills his lifelong fascination with movement, labor, and modernity into a single, uncompromising figure: a young girl caught between aspiration and the unforgiving realities of her world. Its enduring power lies in that unresolved tension—beautiful in its honesty, unsettling in its truth.
The Model and Social Context
The sculpture portrays Marie Geneviève van Goethem (or van Goethem), a young petit rat (“little rat”)—the nickname for the lowest-ranking ballet students at the Paris Opéra Ballet. Born into a working-class family (father a tailor, mother a laundress), Marie and her sisters entered the ballet to escape poverty. These girls, often from modest or marginal backgrounds, endured grueling training from a young age. Many faced exploitation: low pay, physical strain, and pressure from wealthy male abonnés (subscribers) who had backstage access and frequently sought sexual favors. Marie’s older sister Antoinette occasionally worked as a prostitute to support the family. After leaving the Opéra, Marie’s life faded into obscurity; she likely died in poverty. Degas captured her at around age 14, embodying the transitional vulnerability of these young dancers—poised between childhood and the harsh realities of adult professional (and sometimes transactional) life.
Materials, Technique, and Radical Realism
Degas constructed the original as a mixed-media assemblage rather than carving or modeling in a traditional academic manner:
- Core structure: Metal armature reinforced with rope, wood chips, old paintbrushes, and an organic bundle, coated in clay, then clad in pigmented beeswax for the skin.
- Hyperrealist additions: Real human hair (a wig tied with a silk and linen ribbon), a cotton faille bodice, cotton-and-silk tutu (often tarlatan or gauze, replaced over time in casts), linen ballet slippers, and a wooden base.
- Scale and pose: Life-sized (approximately 98–99 cm / 39 inches tall). The girl stands in a relaxed fourth-position stance—weight on the back leg, front foot extended, arms clasped behind her back, head held high with a slightly lifted chin—conveying both discipline and adolescent awkwardness. The body shows subtle signs of strain and realism (protruding ribs, uneven skin tones in the wax).
Reception in 1881: Scandal and Innovation
Contemporary critics reacted with a mixture of fascination and revulsion. Many found the figure “ugly,” “vulgar,” or even “monstrous”—comparing her facial features to a monkey, an Aztec, or a criminal type (invoking then-popular pseudosciences like phrenology and physiognomy). Terms like “flower of precocious depravity” or “hateful promise of every vice” reflected class prejudice: the public associated the unidealized working-class girl with moral corruption and the Opéra’s seedy underbelly. Some praised its bold realism and modernity, with Joris-Karl Huysmans hailing it as overthrowing the traditions of sculpture much as Degas had shaken painting. Degas withdrew the work after a short display and never exhibited another sculpture publicly.
The scandal stemmed from its rejection of academic ideals: instead of a graceful, timeless nymph, Degas presented a specific, contemporary adolescent—awkward, determined, and marked by her environment.
Interpretations: Realism, Exploitation, and the Gaze
- Modernist breakthrough: The work pioneered hyperrealism and multimedia in sculpture, prefiguring 20th-century developments (assemblage, verism). It treated a modern, everyday subject with the seriousness traditionally reserved for classical or heroic themes.
- Social commentary: Degas exposed the harsh realities of the petits rats—their discipline, physical toll, and precarious social position—without romanticizing ballet’s glamour. The pose suggests both poised professionalism and underlying tension.
- Feminist and critical readings: Interpretations vary widely. Some see voyeurism or misogyny in Degas’s detached observation of young female bodies (he reportedly called dancers “little monkeys” and demanded long posing sessions). Others view it as compassionate realism or even subtle critique of bourgeois exploitation and the commodification of young women. The direct, unapologetic presence of the figure can read as resilient dignity amid adversity. Modern scholars debate whether Degas reinforced or challenged the era’s gender and class dynamics.
Legacy
After Degas’s death, his heirs authorized bronze editions to preserve and monetize the waxes (many of which were deteriorating). Today, Little Dancer Aged Fourteen is one of the most recognizable and beloved sculptures in the world—ironically transformed from a scandalous outlier into an icon of modern art. It continues to provoke discussion about realism vs. idealization, the ethics of representation, the lives of working artists (especially young women), and the blurred line between observation and objectification.
In the broader context of Degas’s ballet oeuvre, it distills his lifelong fascination with movement, labor, and modernity into a single, uncompromising figure: a young girl caught between aspiration and the unforgiving realities of her world. Its enduring power lies in that unresolved tension—beautiful in its honesty, unsettling in its truth.
MANET
1
1881 Le Printemps
2014 SOLD for $ 65M by Christie's
The art of Edouard Manet was based on the great masters of the past but his wish to express life and mores of his time generated a lasting misunderstanding. All along two decades, he was rejected in the Salons that were the arbiters of the French official good taste.
Everything begins to change in 1881. His old friend Antonin Proust, close to Gambetta, suggests Manet to produce a series of allegorical paintings on the theme of the four seasons. Manet soaks carefully and slowly within this project.
The first paintings, Spring (Le Printemps) and Autumn, are made within that year. In the following year, studies of amazones show how Manet wanted to express Summer, but he died in 1883 without having worked on Winter. In 1882, Le Printemps and Un Bar aux Folies-Bergères finally provide Manet with a triumph in the Salon.
Spring is a time for renewal, hope and flowers. Manet was inspired by the ideal of the flower-woman played by the very young actress Jeanne Demarsy nicely dressed in flowery clothes in an environment of rhododendrons. Jeanne is seen in profile in the style of the Renaissance but proudly expresses the autonomy of the new woman.
Le Printemps, oil on canvas 74 x 52 cm, was sold for $ 65M from a lower estimate of $ 25M on November 5, 2014 by Christie's, lot 16. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Grok thought :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc Nov 6, 2014
Spring in our step. Manet’s “Le Printemps” sets #worldauctionrecord for the artist at $65,125,000
Everything begins to change in 1881. His old friend Antonin Proust, close to Gambetta, suggests Manet to produce a series of allegorical paintings on the theme of the four seasons. Manet soaks carefully and slowly within this project.
The first paintings, Spring (Le Printemps) and Autumn, are made within that year. In the following year, studies of amazones show how Manet wanted to express Summer, but he died in 1883 without having worked on Winter. In 1882, Le Printemps and Un Bar aux Folies-Bergères finally provide Manet with a triumph in the Salon.
Spring is a time for renewal, hope and flowers. Manet was inspired by the ideal of the flower-woman played by the very young actress Jeanne Demarsy nicely dressed in flowery clothes in an environment of rhododendrons. Jeanne is seen in profile in the style of the Renaissance but proudly expresses the autonomy of the new woman.
Le Printemps, oil on canvas 74 x 52 cm, was sold for $ 65M from a lower estimate of $ 25M on November 5, 2014 by Christie's, lot 16. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Grok thought :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc Nov 6, 2014
Spring in our step. Manet’s “Le Printemps” sets #worldauctionrecord for the artist at $65,125,000
- Christie's 2014 post celebrates the auction sale of Édouard Manet's 1881 painting "Le Printemps," depicting actress Jeanne Demarsy in a floral spring scene, for $65.1 million—nearly double the artist's prior record.
- The work, owned by one family for a century, exceeded its $25–35 million estimate and was acquired by the J. Paul Getty Museum, underscoring strong institutional interest in Impressionist masterpieces.
- As of 2025, this remains Manet's highest auction price, reflecting sustained market value for his oeuvre amid broader trends in art investment.
2
1881 Le Bar aux Folies Bergère, 1st version
2015 SOLD for £ 17M by Sotheby's
Edouard Manet is one of the great experimenters of art in the nineteenth century. In early 1880, his health is deteriorating, generating infirmities in the limbs. This difficulty seems to accelerate his creativity, as if he felt that he had little remaining time to prove that he is one of the top artists.
The inspiration of Manet is modernist, which is clearly visible in the series of Seasons that he will not complete and where he is adapting the classic portraiture to display a modern young woman.
On June 24, 2015, Sotheby's sold for £ 17M Le bar aux Folies-Bergère, oil on canvas 47 x 56 cm painted in 1881, lot 8. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The barmaid is positioned before a vast space which is a reflection in a wall mirror, including her own reflection. The exact position of the glass is hardly noticeable. In the background, colors in dots figure a crowd at a show, anticipating altogether Lautrec and abstract art.
This scene that desires to be a counterpart to Las Meninas by Velazquez is troubling in its angles. It was painted in the studio. The man on the right who is visible only in his reflection is the door neighbor. The consistency of his position is explained when we accept to exclude the logical assumption that it he placed just in front of the woman.
Manet wants to create a masterpiece and appreciates that this theme allows it. Painted a few months later, the second and final version 96 x 130 cm marks a come back to a scene in realistic line with a towering girl whose actual model is an employee of the Folies-Bergère, a crowd whose details are visible and some additions like the increased assortment of drinks on the bar and the legs of the trapeze artist that anticipate Chagall.
The inspiration of Manet is modernist, which is clearly visible in the series of Seasons that he will not complete and where he is adapting the classic portraiture to display a modern young woman.
On June 24, 2015, Sotheby's sold for £ 17M Le bar aux Folies-Bergère, oil on canvas 47 x 56 cm painted in 1881, lot 8. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The barmaid is positioned before a vast space which is a reflection in a wall mirror, including her own reflection. The exact position of the glass is hardly noticeable. In the background, colors in dots figure a crowd at a show, anticipating altogether Lautrec and abstract art.
This scene that desires to be a counterpart to Las Meninas by Velazquez is troubling in its angles. It was painted in the studio. The man on the right who is visible only in his reflection is the door neighbor. The consistency of his position is explained when we accept to exclude the logical assumption that it he placed just in front of the woman.
Manet wants to create a masterpiece and appreciates that this theme allows it. Painted a few months later, the second and final version 96 x 130 cm marks a come back to a scene in realistic line with a towering girl whose actual model is an employee of the Folies-Bergère, a crowd whose details are visible and some additions like the increased assortment of drinks on the bar and the legs of the trapeze artist that anticipate Chagall.
2 bis
masterpiece
1881-1882 Le Bar aux Folies Bergère, 2nd version
Institut Courtauld's
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
3
1881 Le Banc
1990 SOLD for $ 16.5M by Christie's
Le Banc, subtitled Le Jardin de Versailles, is a view of a trellised garden painted by Manet in 1881. This oil on canvas 65 x 81 cm was sold for $ 16.5M by Christie's on May 15, 1990. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
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1881 MONET
Intro
Claude Monet felt himself as a gardener. While in Argenteuil he enjoyed painting views of his own garden.
The house he rented in Vétheuil was carefully selected for creating an exuberant garden. It stood on the road from Vétheuil to La Roche-Guyon, which separated it from the garden that sloped down to the banks of the Seine river, leading to the ravishing panorama to Lavacourt that was the theme of his first intentionally built series.
Monet did not paint his new garden during the agony of Camille. He resumed that pictorial theme in 1881.
The house he rented in Vétheuil was carefully selected for creating an exuberant garden. It stood on the road from Vétheuil to La Roche-Guyon, which separated it from the garden that sloped down to the banks of the Seine river, leading to the ravishing panorama to Lavacourt that was the theme of his first intentionally built series.
Monet did not paint his new garden during the agony of Camille. He resumed that pictorial theme in 1881.
1
early Spring 1881 La Maison de Campagne
2014 SOLD for $ 7.6M by Sotheby's
An oil on canvas 60 x 75 cm dated 1881 by Monet was referred as La Maison de Campagne when it was acquired by Durand-Ruel in April 1881. It is also more correctly titled Le Jardin de Vétheuil. It features in a close foreground the lower part of the garden, with branches and leaves half hiding the house and the stairs.
It was sold for $ 7.6M from a lower estimate of $ 4M by Sotheby's on November 4, 2014, lot 20. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
It was sold for $ 7.6M from a lower estimate of $ 4M by Sotheby's on November 4, 2014, lot 20. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
2
Summer 1881 Le Jardin de l'Artiste
1996 SOLD for $ 13.2M by Christie's
Monet painted a series of four views nearly identical in composition of his garden in the summer of 1881, with differences in the position of children descending the stairs from the building and in the sunlight.
Le Jardin de l'artiste, oil on canvas 100 x 82 cm created around noon, was sold for $ 13.2M by Christie's on November 11, 1996, lot 13. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Le Jardin de l'artiste, oil on canvas 100 x 82 cm created around noon, was sold for $ 13.2M by Christie's on November 11, 1996, lot 13. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
3
Alice au Jardin
2014 SOLD for $ 34M by Sotheby's
The untimely death of Camille in 1879 rushes Alice Hoschedé into the arms of Monet.
In 1881 he features Alice in the garden of Vétheuil. He remembers the time when the white dress of Camille was expressing purity. Alice is quietly sewing in a rich surrounding of foliage. The sunlight filtering through a large tree provides a continuity in texture between the green and the woman in light blue.
This oil on canvas 81 x 65 cm was sold for $ 34M from a lower estimate of $ 25M by Sotheby's on November 4, 2014, lot 29. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
That year marks the peak and the end of the first impressionist period of Monet. He is watched by scandal when he can no longer hide his affair with Alice, a married woman. In the following year, his long lonesome trip in Normandy makes him wish to express the variations of light in the landscape at various times of the day.
Monet moved further away from Paris. He settled in 1883 in Giverny with Alice and the eight children of this recomposed family. The difficult period that followed the death of Camille is finally over. Claude married Alice in 1892, after the death of Hoschedé.
In 1881 he features Alice in the garden of Vétheuil. He remembers the time when the white dress of Camille was expressing purity. Alice is quietly sewing in a rich surrounding of foliage. The sunlight filtering through a large tree provides a continuity in texture between the green and the woman in light blue.
This oil on canvas 81 x 65 cm was sold for $ 34M from a lower estimate of $ 25M by Sotheby's on November 4, 2014, lot 29. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
That year marks the peak and the end of the first impressionist period of Monet. He is watched by scandal when he can no longer hide his affair with Alice, a married woman. In the following year, his long lonesome trip in Normandy makes him wish to express the variations of light in the landscape at various times of the day.
Monet moved further away from Paris. He settled in 1883 in Giverny with Alice and the eight children of this recomposed family. The difficult period that followed the death of Camille is finally over. Claude married Alice in 1892, after the death of Hoschedé.
4
Champ de Blé
2012 SOLD for $ 12.1M by Sotheby's
The move of Claude Monet to Vétheuil is a shift to the delights and colors of the countryside.
Champ de blé, oil on canvas 66 x 82 cm painted in 1881, is depicting a vast and verdant wheat field in Lavacourt in a sunny weather with floating cirrus clouds. The balanced composition is built around two horizontal lines.
It is probably the picture on that theme which Monet exhibited in 1882 at the Impressionist exhibition. It was sold for $ 12.1M from a lower estimate of $ 5M by Sotheby's on November 8, 2012, lot 19. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Champ de blé, oil on canvas 66 x 82 cm painted in 1881, is depicting a vast and verdant wheat field in Lavacourt in a sunny weather with floating cirrus clouds. The balanced composition is built around two horizontal lines.
It is probably the picture on that theme which Monet exhibited in 1882 at the Impressionist exhibition. It was sold for $ 12.1M from a lower estimate of $ 5M by Sotheby's on November 8, 2012, lot 19. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1881 Huafeng People's Wishes to Emperor Yao by Ren Bonian
2011 SOLD for RMB 167M by Xiling Yinshe
Working in Shanghai, Ren Bonian aka Ren Yi is a painter of portraits, birds, flowers, fruit, landscapes and narrative figures, influenced by Song dynasty artists and later by Zhu Da. He was noted for his bold brushstrokes and use of color.
His paintings feature immortals and popular heroes instead of the more hermetic themes of the literati.
Huafeng people's wishes to the Emperor Yao was executed in 1881 for presentation to a wealthy Shanghai businessman. This folktale stages the legendary emperor Yao during an inspection tour in the mountains and jungles of Hua Feng area. The people give three wishes to Yao, but Yao declines three times.
This ink and color on silk 212 x 106 cm is Ren's largest work. It was sold for RMB 167M from a lower estimate of RMB 80M by Xiling Yinshe on July 16, 2011, lot 164.
His paintings feature immortals and popular heroes instead of the more hermetic themes of the literati.
Huafeng people's wishes to the Emperor Yao was executed in 1881 for presentation to a wealthy Shanghai businessman. This folktale stages the legendary emperor Yao during an inspection tour in the mountains and jungles of Hua Feng area. The people give three wishes to Yao, but Yao declines three times.
This ink and color on silk 212 x 106 cm is Ren's largest work. It was sold for RMB 167M from a lower estimate of RMB 80M by Xiling Yinshe on July 16, 2011, lot 164.
1881 Chemin Montant by Caillebotte
2019 SOLD for £ 16.7M by Christie's
Martial Caillebotte was a cloth merchant who had amassed a considerable fortune as a supplier of the armies of Napoléon III. His sons did not need to work for living.
Gustave Caillebotte enjoyed rowing, sailing, painting, gardening. In 1875 a painting showing workmen is refused by the Salon : the subject cannot please the bourgeois. In response, the young artist undertakes to support the Impressionnistes. He will even be an indefectible guarantor of a certain authenticity of the early impressionist style.
Gustave is skilled. The sharp line from his beginnings gives way to a real impressionist brushstroke. In bold compositions, he studies the effects of diving and counter-diving.
He spends several summers near Trouville, the seaside village that offers its nautical pleasures and social entertainment to wealthy Parisians housed in grands hôtels and opulent villas.
Chemin montant, oil on canvas 100 x 125 cm painted in 1881, was sold by Christie's for $ 6.7M on November 4, 2003 and for £ 16.7M on February 27, 2019, lot 28. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
A man and a woman are seen from behind, at the edge between the shadow and a bright summer sun. They move slowly, at the same level, without worrying about each other. They are not recognizable, probably to protect the anonymity of the very young woman who will henceforth share the life of the artist. The connoisseurs of the ancient Trouville recognize on the left side the Villa Italienne which was bordered by a steep path.
The artwork is painted in the full Impressionniste maturity of Caillebotte, probably in his studio from sketches. The path is leveled for a better opening onto the wooded horizon. The color balance is carefully constructed, with the yellow of the hat and the blue of gown and sky echoing the green of the vegetation while being embellished with the red-orange spots of the shutters and the sunshade.
Gustave Caillebotte enjoyed rowing, sailing, painting, gardening. In 1875 a painting showing workmen is refused by the Salon : the subject cannot please the bourgeois. In response, the young artist undertakes to support the Impressionnistes. He will even be an indefectible guarantor of a certain authenticity of the early impressionist style.
Gustave is skilled. The sharp line from his beginnings gives way to a real impressionist brushstroke. In bold compositions, he studies the effects of diving and counter-diving.
He spends several summers near Trouville, the seaside village that offers its nautical pleasures and social entertainment to wealthy Parisians housed in grands hôtels and opulent villas.
Chemin montant, oil on canvas 100 x 125 cm painted in 1881, was sold by Christie's for $ 6.7M on November 4, 2003 and for £ 16.7M on February 27, 2019, lot 28. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
A man and a woman are seen from behind, at the edge between the shadow and a bright summer sun. They move slowly, at the same level, without worrying about each other. They are not recognizable, probably to protect the anonymity of the very young woman who will henceforth share the life of the artist. The connoisseurs of the ancient Trouville recognize on the left side the Villa Italienne which was bordered by a steep path.
The artwork is painted in the full Impressionniste maturity of Caillebotte, probably in his studio from sketches. The path is leveled for a better opening onto the wooded horizon. The color balance is carefully constructed, with the yellow of the hat and the blue of gown and sky echoing the green of the vegetation while being embellished with the red-orange spots of the shutters and the sunshade.
1881 Après le Déjeuner by Morisot
2013 SOLD for £ 7M by Christie's
Berthe Morisot very early frequented the circle of artists in rebellion against the academic art who would become the Impressionnistes and was the sister-in-law of Edouard Manet. Her enthusiastic and dynamic style is both original and intimate. She favors family scenes, with a happy sensitivity.
From 1880 Berthe and her husband Eugène Manet rent a house with a garden in Bougival to spend the summers there. At that time she was with Mary Cassatt the symbol of the renewal of impressionism by women. She juxtaposes a sharp line close to Edouard Manet with spots of vibrant colors in the style of Renoir and the light tones of Corot.
Après le déjeuner features a young woman named Marie in the sun porch of Bougival. The portrait of this friend of the family is clear and delicate, contrasting with the free mingling of flowers in the garden. The title and the colors evoke a beautiful summer afternoon.
This oil on canvas 81 x 100 cm painted in 1881 was sold for £ 7M from a lower estimate of £ 1.5M by Christie's on February 6, 2013, lot 11. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Dans la Véranda, oil on canvas of the same size, was painted in 1884 in the same place, with the same accessories and the same surrounding : the table, the carafe, the lush flowers of the garden beyond the windows. Here the character is the child Julie Manet, the daughter of Berthe and Eugène, born in 1878, who is the favorite model of her mother's late career. This painting was sold for $ 2.5M by Christie's on May 14, 2015, lot 36C.
From 1880 Berthe and her husband Eugène Manet rent a house with a garden in Bougival to spend the summers there. At that time she was with Mary Cassatt the symbol of the renewal of impressionism by women. She juxtaposes a sharp line close to Edouard Manet with spots of vibrant colors in the style of Renoir and the light tones of Corot.
Après le déjeuner features a young woman named Marie in the sun porch of Bougival. The portrait of this friend of the family is clear and delicate, contrasting with the free mingling of flowers in the garden. The title and the colors evoke a beautiful summer afternoon.
This oil on canvas 81 x 100 cm painted in 1881 was sold for £ 7M from a lower estimate of £ 1.5M by Christie's on February 6, 2013, lot 11. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Dans la Véranda, oil on canvas of the same size, was painted in 1884 in the same place, with the same accessories and the same surrounding : the table, the carafe, the lush flowers of the garden beyond the windows. Here the character is the child Julie Manet, the daughter of Berthe and Eugène, born in 1878, who is the favorite model of her mother's late career. This painting was sold for $ 2.5M by Christie's on May 14, 2015, lot 36C.
#BertheMorisot's Après le déjeuner is a historic painting, considered by many of her contemporaries to be 'l'impressioniste par excellence'. Her works from this period combine a rich variation of brushstrokes with a sophisticated mastery of colour #IWD2020 https://t.co/uLq1EwZsvz pic.twitter.com/qLTANrgq5S
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) March 4, 2020
