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• Auction House:
  Gibson's Auctioneers & Valuers
• Sale Name:
  Australian & International Art
• Sale Date:
  18 Apr 2021 ~ 2pm (AEST)
• Lot #:
  18
• Lot Description:
  Charles Conder
  (1868-1909)
  Scene on the Epte, circa 1894
  oil on canvas
  43.5 x 53.5 cm
  signed lower right: CONDER
• Provenance:
  Mrs Cecil Lawson, England; Bradford Bradley & Co, Exhibition agents, Charlotte Street, Fitzroy Square, London (label verso); J.H.R Carver (label verso); Savill Galleries, Sydney (label verso); Private collection, New South Wales
• Exhibited:
  Exhibition of 20th Century British Paintings, National Gallery, London, 1940, as Scene on the Ept (label verso); Charles Conder, Sheffield City Art Galleries, September 1967, as On the Ept (label verso); J.S. Mass & Co. Ltd. New Bond Street, London, cat. 444, as Scene on the Ept (label verso)
• Notes:
  Charles Conder's Australian sojourn (1884-1890) left an enduring contribution to the development of Australian art. His success as an artist continued in both England and France, and by at least 1896, the Paris Salon was already hanging Conder's pictures 'on the line'. Since the 1870s, the Seine river and its tributary, the Epte, had been favourite painting spots among the Impressionists in Normandy. Monet set up his studio in Giverny just a few kilometres from the banks of the Epte, and in the early-1890s he further stamped its significance into the collective imagination when he produced the iconic Poplar series of paintings. 'Monet', notes Ann Galbally, 'was the most important influence on Conder's landscapes from 1892 to 1894.' Dozens of artists from all over the world, including Americans Frederick Frieseke and Richard Miller, turned the sleepy hamlet into a thriving artists' colony. The area also managed to hold Conder's regular attention, and in March-April 1894, he is registered to have stayed at Giverny. In the present picture, Conder also borrows one of the favourite leitmotifs used by Corot and the Barbizon School: the silhouette of a lone anonymous figure, toiling by a river, under moody crepuscular light. What first appears to be a dark foreboding setting, emerges as a careful arrangement of striking colours and masterly paintwork. Daybreak is heralded by a blazing crack of sunshine in tints of pearlescent yellow and peachy hues that shine through the coulisse of soft violets, forest greens and earthy browns - the whole lot reflected on the river's flat surface. Conder is also showing off the bravura of his paintbrush to suit the tone and energy of the composition. He represents the calm waters with long tinted veneers, the middle ground of rustling foliage is made up of quick mosaic-like dabs, and the glare of the sunrise bursts through the centre of the picture with thick and weighty impasto. Scene on the Epte carries an exceptional provenance and exhibition history. It was first recorded to have been in the collection of Mrs Cecil Lawson, Charles Conder's sister-in-law, a notable patron of the artist. It was exhibited in 1940 at the National Gallery in London, and in 1967 it was included in a show at the Sheffield City Art Galleries. This painting would hang comfortably in any serious private or museum collection. Petrit Abazi
• Estimate:
  A$30,000 - 40,000
• Realised Price:
  *****
  

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• Category:
  Art

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.