Louis Valtat

LOUIS VALTAT (France, 1869-1952)
"Provençal landscape"
Oil on canvas
Signed with initials on the lower left.
Provenance: Private collection
A certificate of authenticity from Louis-André Valtat, grandson of the artist, dated September 21, 1995, will be given to the buyer.
Measurements: 61,5 x 51,5 cm; 83 x 72 cm (frame).

"Paysage provençal" is a vibrant example of Valtat's particular Fauvism. It captures a landscape in the south of France, probably near Agay, where Valtat often painted. The composition is structured in different planes but it is the brushstroke that is the protagonist, which implodes in symphonic chromatic bursts. The sky, in the upper part, is a pale blue mixed with touches of light yellow, suggesting the bright light of the Provençal sun, whose light vibrates the field in igneous iridescence. The trees seem to be shaken by an impetuous wind. The vegetation is insinuated with touches of green, yellow and orange marbled. As was characteristic of the fauve movement, color is freed from its descriptive function. It is used arbitrarily and expressively to build form and convey emotion. The brushstroke is energetic, visible and applied in spots. The contours of the trees are marked with dark lines, a technique reminiscent of Gauguin's cloisonnism, a key influence on the fauvists. There is no interest in realistic detail; the forms are reduced to their essences.

This painting falls squarely in his mature fauve period. Louis Valtat is often considered a precursor or early member of Fauvism, although his career is unique. Valtat began experimenting with pure colors and expressive brushwork as early as the mid-1890s, even before Matisse or Derain. His stays in the south of France were crucial to this development. Although Valtat was not as radical as some of his contemporaries, he fully shared the central tenets of the movement.

Louis Valtat was a French painter and printmaker associated with Fauvism, renowned for the vividness of his coloring and his influence on the transition from Impressionism to French modern art, from Manet to Matisse. His work encompasses landscapes, still lifes and urban scenes, and is distinguished by a balance between figurative representation and chromatic exploration.

Born in Dieppe, Normandy, into a wealthy family engaged in maritime trade, Valtat spent his childhood in Versailles, where he studied at the Lycée Hoche, near the Palace of Versailles. As a child he showed a fascination for painting, encouraged by his father, who motivated him to observe light and landscapes in detail. At the age of 17 he decided to devote himself professionally to painting and moved to Paris to study at the École des Beaux-Arts, where he received training from leading academics. He later furthered his training at the Académie Julian, sharing studies with future members of the Nabis movement although he never formally joined the group.