Description:

Henri Émilien Rousseau (1875-1933), French
OFFICIER ET SAPHIS, 1928
oil on canvas
signed and dated “28” lower right

Estimate: $8,000—12,000 CAD

  • Provenance:

    Galerie George Petit, Paris, France
    Koster Private Collection, Paris, France
    Waddington's Auctioneers, Toronto, ON, 9 Jun 1995, lot 01788
    Private Collection, Ontario
    Sotheby's, New York, NY, 1 Nov 1995, lot 58
    Private Collection, Ontario

  • Dimensions: 23.6 x 31.9 in — 60 x 81 cm
  • Literature: Paul Ruffié, Henri Rousseau. Le dernier orientaliste, Ed. Privat, Toulouse, 2015, 207, illustrated.
  • Medium: oil on canvas
  • Notes:

    In the most recent catalogue raisonné of Henri Émilien Rousseau paintings [1], Paul Ruffié explains the impact of the artist’s move to the South of France and Orientalism on his oeuvre.

    When Henri Rousseau relocated to Aix-en-Provence in 1919, the artist strategically and stylistically positioned himself halfway between Paris and North Africa. The balance between the fertile art market of Paris and the geographically diminishing barrier of the Mediterranean led to Rousseau’s new found joy in painting - allowing the artist to concentrate on the subtleties of his subjects.

    Distancing himself stylistically from the detached, classical portraiture and landscapes of his early career, Rousseau’s physical proximity to the region allowed him to explore the plethora of customs, beliefs, and traditions of North Africa. Applying his growing knowledge of the region, inherited from France’s centuries-long colonization of North Africa, Rousseau adopted an air of familiarity to his paintings creating an almost oxymoronic yet organic sense of calm dynamism. With the exception of his depiction of a few military patrols, stark frontality is often absent from his compositions, with the artist preferring to follow the panoramic motion of the scene and its forms.

    Rousseau’s novel connection to North Africa is echoed in the painter's manipulation of the canvas. His notedly spontaneous brushstrokes, now eschew, read more assertively as light emanates from each swatch of paint. His brushes and pallet knives act decisively, contrasting textures, and leaving a few spots of pure pigment that illuminate areas of divergence. Rousseau’s virtuous and highly unique style thus emerges from this era.

    [1] Paul Ruffié, Henri Rousseau. Le dernier orientaliste, Ed. Privat, Toulouse, 2015, 86.

  • Condition: Very good overall condition.
    Slight accretion to upper right quadrant, slight craquelure throughout, minor frame abrasions to upper and lower edges.

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November 28, 2024 8:00 PM EST
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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
CA$0 CA$199 CA$10
CA$200 CA$499 CA$20
CA$500 CA$999 CA$50
CA$1,000 CA$1,999 CA$100
CA$2,000 CA$4,999 CA$200
CA$5,000 CA$9,999 CA$500
CA$10,000 CA$19,999 CA$1,000
CA$20,000 CA$49,999 CA$2,000
CA$50,000 CA$99,999 CA$5,000
CA$100,000 CA$299,999 CA$10,000
CA$300,000 CA$999,999 CA$25,000
CA$1,000,000 CA$1,999,999 CA$50,000
CA$2,000,000 CA$2,999,999 CA$100,000
CA$3,000,000 CA$4,999,999 CA$200,000
CA$5,000,000 + CA$300,000