Walter SICKERT (Munich, 1860 - Bath, 1942) - Lot 33

Walter SICKERT (Munich, 1860 - Bath, 1942) Venice, Saint Mark's Basilica, circa 1901 Canvas. Signed lower right Sickert. 99.5 x 85 cm Provenance: Jacques-Émile Blanche; by descent to the present owners. Bibliography: Wendy Baron, Walter Sickert, 1973, under no. 132; Wendy Baron, Sickert, Paintings and Drawings 2006, p. 264 under no. 166. Exhibitions: most probably, Exposition Walter Sickert, galeries Bernheim-Jeune & fils, Paris, June 1-10, 1904, no. 77, Saint Marc (Venice), owned by M. J. E. Blanche; Paysages d'Italie, galerie Charpentier, Paris 1947; Walter Sickert, Peindre et transgresser, Paris, Petit Palais,October 14, 2022 - January 29, 2023, not reproduced, listed p. 232. Walter Sickert is one of the major English painters of the late 19th and 20th centuries. He exerted a lasting influence on British artists of the 20th century. His favorite subjects include music hall and theater scenes, as well as female nudes, often of prostitutes in an interior. Urban landscapes also figure prominently in his work, such as those of Dieppe, where he lived for many years. Venice, where he made a series of winter visits between 1894 and 1905, inspired many of his urban and architectural views, including the façade of St. Mark's Basilica, which seems to have fascinated him. He painted it several times, using different viewpoints and lighting effects, probably inspired by the Rouen cathedral series by Monet's Rouen cathedral series. The originality and boldness of his layouts are evident in the view of the basilica facade presented here, which shows only the two porches on the left. The warm color of the walls and the gold of the mosaics of this magnificent architecture, rising towards an intense blue sky, give the picture a particular presence and charm. These views of Venice were extremely popular in France and England, and much sought-after by collectors. André Gide, to name but one, owned several. From 1898 to 1905, Sickert lived in France, mainly in Dieppe on the Normandy coast. He liked to paint in the studio, from drawings and sketches made in situ, and it was probably during this long stay in France that he produced his views of Venice. Jacques-Emile Blanche was one of his closest friends. They saw each other often, whether in Dieppe, Venice or London. A great admirer of Sickert's art, Blanche acquired several of his paintings. He wrote the preface to the catalog of the Bernheim exhibition in 1904.