MAURICE DENIS (1870-1943)LE MARCHÉ À BISKRAOil... Lot 34

MAURICE DENIS (1870-1943)LE MARCHÉ À BISKRAOil on cardboardSigned lower leftAnnotated in pencil on the back 'Maurice Denis/Le marchand bleu/Coin de marché à Biskra 'Oil on card board ; signed lower left; annotated on the reverse32 X 23,5 CM - 12 5/8 X 9 1/4 IN. PROVENANCEVenteVente , Gros & Delettrez, Paris, 20november 2000, lot 190, acquired during this sale by the current owner. This work will be included in the catalogue raisonné Maurice Denis which is currently being prepared by Claire Denis and Fabienne Stahl. Painted in 1921 following the trip Maurice Denis made with his daughter Madeleine to North Africa (El Kantara, Biskra and Constantine then Tunis and Kairouan), Le marché à Biskra is to be related to the Caravanserai in Biskra, preserved in the Musée du Prieuré, Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Inv. PMD 978.19.1) and its counterpart (not located): The Drinking trough at Biskra. In his Diary, Volume III, 1921-1943 (La Colombe, Éditions du Vieux Colombier, Paris: 1957-1959), the painter notes: "Intense picturesque; triumph of the local tone. I think of Delacroix's notebooks, more than of his painting [...]; what dominates here is the rhythm of the camels and donkeys and the proud, rather slow pace of the men [.. .]". Painted in 1921 after Maurice Denis' trip with his daughter Madeleine to North Africa (El Kantara, Biskra and Constantine, then Tunis and Kairouan), Le marché à Biskra can be compared to the Caravanserai in Biskra, held in the Musée du Prieuré in Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Inv. PMD 978.19.1) and its counterpart (not located) L'Abreuvoir à Biskra. In his Journal, Tome III, 1921-1943 (La Colombe, Éditions du Vieux Colombier, Paris: 1957-1959), the painter noted: "Intensely picturesque; triumph in local color. I think of Delacroix's notebooks, more than his painting [...]; what dominates here is the rhythm of camels