VILLON, Jacques, Le Paysan, after Van Gogh
Villon, Jacques (Gaston Duchamp). French painter, born in Damville; died in Puteaux. Villon was the brother of Marcel Duchamp, Raymond DuchampVillo… [Read biography »]
Signed Jacques Villon (1875 - 1963), Color Aquatint, Le Paysan, after Van Gogh  |
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| Artist: | Villon, Jacques (1875 - 1963) |
|---|---|
| Title: | Le Paysan, after Van Gogh |
| Medium: | Color Aquatint |
| Image Size: | 16 in x 10 in (40 x 31.6 cm) |
| Framed Size: | 32 1/2 in x 29 1/2 in (83 x75 cm) |
| Signed: | Jacques Villon, LR, pencil |
| Edition: | of 200 |
| Condition: | Excellent |
| Price: | $SOLD Please visit the rest of our VILLON inventory » |
| Description: | |
On an emotional level, this work alludes to a sense of poetic beauty captured in the despondent expression, and weary eyes of the aging farmer. While the aged face and hands of the figure speak of the inescapable effects of time, the bright color palette offers a sense of vitality and joy. Printed by Villon between 1927 and 1928, this work was published by Bernheim-Jeune and exhibited at Gallery Bernheim-Jeune in 1928. There is an unidentified blind stamp in the lower right-hand corner, possibly “ADA” or “AAD” in a circle. In this splendid adaptation of Van Gogh’s monumental painting, Villon takes visual splendor to an unprecedented level. In his day Villon was well known as a master of the aquatint medium, and this stunning work is an excellent example of his ability to saturate the paper with a wonderful color combination where each color radiates a light that compliments that of its neighbor. What’s more, none of Van Gogh’s brilliant brush strokes are lost in the adaptation of his painting into an aquatint; if anything their qualities are enhanced by Villon’s detailed attention to their shapes and his consistent application of color. Catalogue Raisonné & COA: 1.) Ginestet Collete de, and Pouillon Catherine, Jacques Villon, Les Estampes et Les Illustrations, Arts et Métiers Graphiques. Pictured on page 405 as plate E653. 2.) A Masterworks Fine Art, Inc. Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work. About the Framing: | |
| Style: | Impressionism, Modern Art |
Biography of Jacques Villon
Villon, Jacques (Gaston Duchamp). French painter, born in Damville; died in Puteaux. Villon was the brother of Marcel Duchamp, Raymond DuchampVillon and Suzanne Duchamp. After studying law he settled in Paris in 1894, where he worked in Cormon's studio and earned his living as a draughtsman. During this period he contributed to the magazines Le Chat noir, Gil Blas, Lassiette au Beurre and Le Courrier franqais. In 1904 he became a founder member of the Salon d'Automne, in which he regularly exhibited. In 1912 he helped to organize the Section d'Or exhibition, and in 1913 took part in the International Exhibition of Modern Art (the Armory Show) in New York, at which he sold nine pictures. Between 1921 and 1930 he produced thirty-four prints for Architectures.
In 1937 he won an award for painting and graphic art at the International Exhibition of Art in Paris. In 1940-1 he was in Bernay with Mme Andre Mare. In 1944 he became friendly with Louis Carre and
exhibited in his gallery. In 1949 he won the Grand Prix for graphic art in Lugano, and in 1950 took part in the Twenty fifth Biennale in Venice, and won the Carnegie Prize in Pittsburgh. In 1954 he was made Commandeur de la Legion d' Honneur and Commandeur des Arts et Lettres. In 1956 he won the Grand Prix for painting at the Twenty-eighth Biennale in Venice and in 1958 the Grand Prix at the International Exhibition in Brussels. In 1961 he was made an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the National Institute of Arts and Letters in the United States.
During his early period, when he worked primarily as a draughtsman and etcher, Villon was influenced by Steinlen and Toulouse-Lautrec. In 1906 he became more interested in painting, and during the next five years took his lead from Degas and the Fauves. Then, in 1911, he embraced Analytical Cubism, which satisfied his need for order and discipline. Subsequently, he tried to develop a new style of painting based on mathematical proportions corresponding to the golden section. Later, between 1919 and 1929, he painted abstracts, in which he sought to represent the essence of objects by means of signs and not properties. During this period he restricted his palette to greys and browns. In 1930 he began to use colours from the prismatic sequence of tones. After this abstract phase Villon reverted, in 1933, to natural forms and pure colours. In c. 1950 he stopped painting landscapes and figure compositions, and evolved a new and carefully thought-out form of abstract painting, for which he used cool colours.
