The elemental beauty of this vibrant cityscape by French post-impressionist Gustave Loiseau is created with several components of his signature style. The blend of foliage and the coursing river of shows the predominance of the inhabitants of the French Brittany Coast for structuring their cities around the local waterways. At this coastal harbor entrance to the important port of Fécamp, halfway between Dieppe and Le Havre.
The impasto texture on this canvas is fascinating to explore. Rich with elements both architectural and human, especially the stretched promenade full of walking travelers along the waterway, Loiseau has chosen a nearly impossible to view high perspective over the city - from a hot-air balloon perhaps?- to look down on the alternating rooftops and challenge the heights of the swirling, ethereal clouds.
While he is first and foremost a French artist, Loiseau found international success during his lifetime, and continues to be popular with discriminating collectors of the best works from the Post-Impressionist era.
This painting was acquired directly from the artist in the year it was painted by Paul Durand-Ruel, the champion of the Impressionists and the most important Parisian art dealer of the Impressionist era. The provenance of the present work links it directly to the personal collection of the Durand-Ruel family, as it has remained in their collection since it was painted. The personal collection of Durand-Ruel contained masterpieces by all of the key members of the Impressionist group, including Cassatt, Degas, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, and Sisley, as well as numerous works by many other artists that he represented or admired.
