HENRI LE SIDANER

(1862-1939)

La Porte dans la verdure

Footnotes

The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Yann Farinaux-Le Sidaner.

Provenance
Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, no. 8689 (acquired directly from the artist).
M. Knoedler & Co., Paris (acquired from the above in 1925).
Henri Le Sidaner Collection, Versailles (by trade from the above).
Louis Le Sidaner Collection, Paris (the artist's son; by descent from the above in 1939).
Galerie Marcel Flavian, Paris (acquired in 1967).
Wally Findlay Galleries, Inc., New York, no. 26809 (acquired from the above in July 1968).
Richard and Maxine Markell Collection, Westchester (acquired from the above in July 1971).
Thence by descent to the present owner.

Exhibited
Pittsburgh, Carnegie Institute, 24th International Exhibition of Paintings, October 15 - December 6, 1925, no. 15.
Paris, Musée Galliéra, Rétrospective Henri Le Sidaner, April 1948, no. 27.
Brussels, Galerie de l'Art Belge, Rétrospective Le Sidaner, April - May 1951, no. 13 (later traveled to Glasgow).
Paris, Galerie Lorenceau, Tables et fenêtres, February - March 1952, no. 7.
Paris, Galerie Hervé, Quelques tableaux de maîtres néo-impressionistes, May 24 - June 27, 1967, no. 29.
New York, Wally Findlay Galleries, Inc., Important Paintings, November - December 1968 (later traveled to Palm Beach).

Literature
Y. Farinaux-Le Sidaner, Le Sidaner, L'œuvre peint et gravé, Milan, 1989, no. 561 (illustrated p. 213).



Painted in 1925, La Porte dans la verdure is a reflective and sublime depiction of light and shadow, a pristine example of Henri Le Sidaner's mature style. The harmony and warmth of the composition radiates outwards through the welcoming brightness and energy of the pigment, inviting the viewer to bask in a mystical and fleeting moment of twilight. The present lot incorporates several elements that characterized and influenced the artist's career, particularly that of the Intimist movement, as defined by Camille Mauclair:

"A revelation of the soul through the things painted, the magnetic suggestion of what lies behind them through the description of the outer appearance, the intimate meaning of the spectacles of life. This intimate meaning is not exactly the symbolism or the mysticism of the primitives or of the allegorists of the Renaissance, who combined natural elements from the point of view of personal conception. It confines itself to expressing so much of their depth as objects and beings, as we perceive them, allow us to divine—the daily tragedy and mystery of ordinary existence, and the latent poetry of things" (C. Mauclair quoted in The Great French Painters and the Evolution of French Painting from 1830 to the Present Day, London, 1903, p. 122).

Le Sidaner created an artistic style which was detached from any particular school, a blend of multiple influences that he combined to create his signature aesthetic. Early in his career, he quickly became dissatisfied with the academic training at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts, and left the school by 1885. In 1901, he took part in his first exhibition with the Société Nouvelle, alongside Henri Martin. The exhibition was held at the prestigious Galerie Georges Petit, and due to the success of the show, the gallery continued to represent Le Sidaner and held numerous important exhibitions for the artist. By the 1920s, Le Sidaner become critically acclaimed. His painting method combines Intimist influences with early Symbolist concepts and Impressionistic techniques. The mysterious poetry he achieved in La Porte dans la verdure illustrates this unique personal style. The light and the composition depicted in this painting has a Symbolist leaning, crystalizing a simple moment in absolute reverence through his thoughtful depiction of nature in a grand oil painting. Thickly applied pigment and strong colors are used to represent subtle flickers of light, clearly a nod to the Impressionist's desire to capture light and shadow in the living moment. He would also use brushstrokes akin to Pointillism, blending tiny dabs of electric colors within subtler hues, such as in the glowing ground of the present work. A few dots of red and orange combine with the smooth pastel color of the light, conveying movement and life.

Like the Impressionists, Le Sidaner would also paint en plein air, often going to the location itself for inspiration. However, when painting he would sometimes edit the scene, simplifying or removing elements in order to depict only a pure moment, void of figures or industrial elements. In La Porte dans la verdure, the hazy light that envelops the atmosphere conveys a sense that although figures are not present in the scene, the door, the leaves and even the ground glow with life and history. In an Intimist manner, the door itself becomes the central element of the composition, conveying a simple piece of the building's architecture with a poetic reverence. The artist's son, Remy Le Sidaner commented on his father's removal of the figure in his works, stating: "Art critics have often tried to account for this - human absence - by making a number of philosophical suggestions. I believe all their efforts were in vain. If we observe the important parts of the canvas - those concerned with creating an effect - we may notice that they do not feature any characters. In my humble opinion, there are no figures simply because there is no call for them" (R. Le Sidaner quoted in Y. Farinaux-Le-Sidaner, Le Sidaner, L'œuvre peint et grave, Milan, 1989, p. 14). Although there are no human figures in the painting, the work evokes a sense of importance and intimacy, a captured moment with universal meaning.

Le Sidaner masterfully portrays the very beginnings of twilight, the brief moment when the sun throws thin orange strips of light from the sky and a yellow haze envelops the air. The welcoming ebullience of the bright green leaves and the dappled sunlight of late afternoon shine with an effusive golden light. Abstract and impressionistic colors dot the foreground, as bold orange and scattered points of red dance over soft brown, while the leaves seem to glisten with yellow light, recalling a flickering movement of shadows. The surreal nature of this time of day is grounded by the trees, flanking both sides of the composition like classical columns, with leaves mimicking the archway of the central door. In turn, the panes of glass on the door itself echo the form of the trees. The stucco of the building glows yellow and green, complementing the foliage outside and enforcing the balance and serenity of the work as a whole. Le Sidaner was focused on creating an aura of stillness, incorporating early Symbolist concepts of timelessness. However, the quotidian serenity of the scene is complicated when one considers the location of the present work. This painting is a depiction of a building at the Trianon park in Versailles. A location of historical significance, it was a place he often visited. Both of Le Sidaner's children studied in Versailles and he had a studio in the city as well. He especially enjoyed the parks at Trianon, and particularly in the 1920s, Le Sidaner worked en plein air on many paintings here, depicting both nature and the historical buildings. Trianon park itself is very well preserved and monumental, with manicured gardens and imposing architecture, yet Le Sidaner focuses on one specific architectural detail, dissembling the majesty of the edifice; it is as if the viewer is approaching an inviting cottage, returning from a stroll in the woods, thus transforming the grand building into a quiet view of reflection.

"His palette is extremely varied and subtle. The oils bind and melt together in highly delicate harmonies...contours seem to emerge from the interplay of light, and in this respect, he is similar to Claude Monet"
– Jacques Baschet quoted in Y. Farinaux-Le Sidaner, op. cit., p. 37.

La Porte dans la verdure was first acquired directly from the artist by Galerie Georges Petit, likely right after it was created. Shortly thereafter, the painting was acquired by M. Knoedler & Co., and was then exhibited in 1925 at the Carnegie Institute's famous international show in Pittsburgh. Almost immediately, this painting garnered an early and important exhibition history. It was one of three paintings exhibited here, and Le Sidaner was chosen to win first prize for his works. Later in his life, Le Sidaner decided that he could not be separated from the painting and proposed a trade with the gallery director: another one of his paintings in exchange for La Porte dans la verdure. The proposal was accepted, and Le Sidaner fondly displayed the painting in his own house, where he continued to retouch the colors throughout the rest of his life.

In 1939, the painting was bequeathed to the artist's eldest son, Louis Le Sidaner, who held the painting in his personal collection for nearly thirty years. The work was also included in several exhibitions, solidifying Le Sidaner's legacy as an important artist of his time. Displayed in two retrospectives of his work, the painting was shown in Musée Galliéra, Paris in 1948 and again in the Galerie de l'Art Belge in Brussels and Glasgow in 1951, establishing a wider global recognition of his work. In addition, this painting was included in a show at Galerie Lorenceau, Paris in 1952, a prestigious gallery with a long and venerable history of dealing with important artists. The present work was acquired from Wally Findlay Galleries in New York in 1971 and has not been seen by the international art market since. This is a rare and exciting chance not only to view a painting by Le Sidaner that has been in private hands for so long but also to own a canvas that the artist personally held in such high regard, in relation to his entire oeuvre, that he reclaimed it for his personal collection and kept it for the rest of his life.