KOLLER VIEW 2/24

13 Colour to light, light to colour Preview of the Impressionist andModern Art auction on 21 June 2024 In 1889, Alfred Sisley settled in the picturesque town of Moret-sur-Loing south of Paris for what would be the last ten years of his life and work. He indulged in his open-air painting in the elegiac landscapes of the sur- rounding area and especially on the banks of the Loing River, which flows into the Seine at nearby Saint-Mam- mès. On one bend in the river, the ‘Tournant du Loing’, Sisley felt surrounded by the full density and diversity of nature. His canvases depict the poplars in the wind, the transparent, constantly changingwater of the Loing, the reflections and the ever-changing light. ‘Lever de soleil en novembre’ from 1896 (ill. 1) is one of the paintings from this period in which Sisley captures the autumnal morning atmosphere in muted shades of brown, green and blue-grey. The painting was among the works that were sold from Sisley ' s personal estate in 1899. Pierre Bonnard’s painting ‘Matin bleu ou Petite riviére’ (ill. 4) transports us to the tranquillity and beauty of a morning by a river, presumably the Seine near Vernon in Normandy. The viewer is immersed in an idyllic land- scape, for which Bonnard has transformed colour into light and light into colour. The bright green of the two trams and the red splash of a car, the only accents of colour in this large-format painting of the Pont Neuf by Albert Marquet, inevitably attract the eye (ill. 2). The last traditional Paris tram ran on 15 March 1937, after having experienced a veritable boom during the world exhibitions at the turn of the century. A second painting by Marquet shows the leg- endary transporter bridge in the harbour of Marseille (ill. 3), which was built in 1905 but had already been decommissioned when the picture was painted. These late Impressionist subjects reflect the artist ' s enthusi- asm for technology. 1 Alfred Sisley (1839–1899). Tournant du Loing – Lever du soleil en novembre. 1896. Oil on canvas. 60 × 73 cm. Estimate: CHF 600 000/800 000 2 Albert Marquet (1875–1947). Pont Neuf, brume d’automne. Circa 1937. Oil on canvas. 65 × 81 cm. Estimate: CHF 100 000/150 0000 3 Albert Marquet (1875–1947). Marseille, le pont transbordeur. Circa 1916. Oil on artist’s board. 32.5 × 40.8 cm. Estimate: CHF 40 000/70 000 4 Pierre Bonnard (1867–1947). Matin bleu ou Petite rivière. 1927. Oil on canvas. 52 × 73 cm. Estimate: CHF 200 000/300 000 2 3 4 For further information Impressionist & Modern Art Jara Koller jara.koller@kollerauctions.com Online catalogues www.kollerauctions.com