oil on panel
36.9 x 46.1 cm (14 1/2 x 18 1/8 in.)
signed lower left

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Chicago

LOT NOTES
Adolphe Monticelli once said "I paint for thirty years from now", and indeed, despite a subject matter that frequently evokes the 18th century, his brash impastos and sumptuous palette influenced a generation of Post-Impressionist artists, most famously Paul Cezanne and Vincent van Gogh. Having met in the 1860s, Cezanne and Monticelli formed a friendship that lasted decades. In the 1870s and `80s, the two artists took multiple trips to the countryside, including a month-long trip to the Aix-en-Provence, where they would paint landscapes. Likewise, Van Gogh was one of Monticelli's chief admirers, frequently referencing his work in letters, attempting compositions inspired by the artist, and even paying to have a book published on Monticelli in 1890. Although Monticelli fell out of fashion during the 20th century, there has recently been a resurgence of interest in the artist, including an exhibition in 2009, Van Gogh-Monticelli in Marseille.