Paul Gauguin, 1848 Paris – 1903 Lot n° 625

RUE DE VILLAGEOil on canvas. 41 x 31 cm. Signed lower right. In gilt ornamentally decorated frame. Attached in copy a letter of confirmation from the Wildenstein Institute, Paris, dated 23 October 2000. The painting is included in the catalogue raisonné (00.10.23/7602/C10 bis). A dirt road leads the viewer's eye into the middle ground. On the left, a dark group of trees stands out sharply against the cloudy sky; on the right, the composition is balanced by a group of houses in the middle ground. Although the depiction is much more reminiscent of preceding Impressionists than of the paintings that first come to mind when we think of Gauguin, it is already clear from the thick-line framing, for instance of the roofs of the buildings depicted, that Gauguin at the time was orienting himself on Japanese woodcuts and stained-glass windows in order to arrive at his cloisonné painting technique, which is already hinted at here, perhaps in the 1870s, and also reveals references to Pissarro, whose paintings also feature a stronger line management. A painting by Gauguin, dated 1877 and offered at Sotheby's, New York in 1998, is easily comparable (Wildenstein 2002 38). Here, too, the outlines of the roofs, as well as the shoreline, have strong contours that anticipate the later style of the autodidact. (†) (1291935) Paul Gauguin, 1848 Paris - 1903 RUE DE VILLAGEOil on canvas. 41 x 31 cm. Signed lower right. In gilt frame with ornamental décor. A copy of a letter of confirmation from the Wildenstein Institute, Paris, dated 23 October 2000 is enclosed. The painting will be included in the catalogue raisonné (00.10.23 / 7602 / C10 bis). A dirt road leads the viewer's gaze into the middle ground. On the left, a group of dark trees stands out sharply against the cloudy sky; on the right, the composition is balanced by a group of houses in the middle ground. Even though the depiction is much more reminiscent of earlier Impressionists than of paintings associated with Gauguin initially, the thick-lined outlines of the roofs of the buildings make it obvious that Gauguin was inspired by Japanese woodcuts and glass windows at the time which led to his cloisonné painting technique. This is already emerging here, perhaps in the 1870s, and also reveals references to Pissarro, whose paintings also feature strong lines. A painting by Gauguin, for example, dated 1877 and offered at Sotheby's, New York in 1998 compares well (Wildenstein 2002 38). Here, too, the outlines of the roofs, but also the shoreline, have strong contours that anticipate the later style of the self-taught artist. (†)