The Legacy of Merrywood: The Estate of Alan I and Dianne Kay

We wish to thank Mr. Patrick Offenstadt for confirming the authenticity of the present work, which will be included as no. 315 (p. 347) in the upcoming Catalogue Raisonné of the Artist's work. The present lot will also be accompanied by a copy of the original Letter of Authenticity by André Schoeller, dated May 13, 1986.

The Impressionist movement was born in rebellion against the official Academic movement, which championed religious and mythological art. Instead, the Impressionists chose to depict everyday life, and to focus on the ephemerality of light and its effects on colors and shapes. As such, mythology and Impressionism are not notions that necessarily pair well with eachother. The Impressionists almost never depicted episodes derived from ancient mythology, which they considered as an attribute of their academic rivals; a resolutely anti-modern theme. However, such a trend gradually disappeared at the turn of the 20th century, firstly through masters of the early Impressionist movement, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Berthe Morisot (two lovers of 18th century Rococo art), later continuing with the Post Neo-Impressionists Paul Signac and Henri-Edmond Cross, whose present painting, inspired by the myth of Leda and the Swan, embodies a shift in the precepts of the Impressionist movement.

Executed in 1905, the oil depicts the beautifully naked Leda languishing on a boat which a white swan casually approaches. The bird is in fact Zeus, who transformed his physical appearance to casually seduce the princess. Without knowing the painting’s title, it is difficult to identify the scene, as it is stripped from any explicit mythological reference, and set in modern times. The swan itself does not seem very engaging with Leda: its back is turned to the viewer, about to veer off. Cross in fact uses the pretext of the myth to push through the inherent limits associated with Impressionism. He invents a new world where the fantastic mixes with the naturalistic, in which Leda and Zeus morph into an anonymous nude and a passing animal, both bathed in a warm and refracted light, characteristic of Cross's divisionist style from 1900 onwards.

The work is a vibrant example of Cross’ pointillist technique and luminous artistry, and beautifully illustrates the artist’s ongoing exploration of light and color. The contrasting, yet harmonious hues are spread across the board in small ellipses of paint. The dappling shadows of the trees on the other bend of the river balance the shimmering haze of greens, turquoise and pinks in the foreground. The scene channels the warm light and peaceful atmosphere of the South of France, where the artist and his wife moved at the turn of the century in search of new inspiration. It also reflects the artist’s new pictorial ideals at the time, as such bright and pure touches of color were not necessarily observed first-hand by Cross. Here, the artist departs from a strictly naturalistic observation of nature and focuses on the harmony of light and color instead, to capture its total intensity. As Isabelle Compin, Cross’ biographer, explains: “Cross, now believing that the effects of light could not be rendered with accuracy in painting, chose instead to suggest light’s intensity and to emphasize its ability to harmonize or unify differing compositional elements.”

Mythology allowed Cross to explore such chromatic explorations without being constricted by a realistic subject. It also provided the artist with an elegant, refined and graceful iconography, which integrated itself perfectly within his colorful world. It came naturally to Cross, who confessed in 1905 to his friend Théo van Rysselberghe: "...On the rocks, on the sand of the beaches, nymphs and naiads appear to me, a whole world born of beautiful light.” He was also not the only one to channel such mythological references. Around that time, Paul Signac himself worked on integrating harmony into his compositions, and often used arcadian subjects, such as nymphs or goddesses, to that effect (see In the Time of Harmony). In doing so, Cross and Signac suggested a cohesion between man and nature, and rekindled the idea of a new Eden, hermetic to industrialization and the modern world - a measured idealism which, at the sight of the present oil, forces us to pause in our ever so active and hectic life to contemplate beauty around us.

Once in the collection of famous art dealer Ambroise Vollard, this mosaic jewel is making its first reappearance on the market for more than thirty years.