Leopoldo Berthélemy De Santa María (1887-1970) - A Street In Menton

Oil on cardboard. Hand-signed.

This view of a villa in Menton, immortalized by Louis Barthélemy de Santa Maria in the late 1920s, is a late but vibrant echo of the sophistication that characterized the Côte d'Azur. Although painted at the dawn of a new era, the work exudes an atmosphere of nonchalant leisure and refinement, where the ochre architecture, majestic balustrades and lush vegetation of palms and cedars create a picture of almost mystical exclusivity. The light, which caresses the walls with a golden warmth, evokes the endless days of a cosmopolitan aristocracy and bourgeoisie seeking a refuge of unchanging beauty on the Côte d'Azur, far from the hustle and bustle of the modern world. In this composition, the garden blends with the stone in a harmony of green and earthy tones that suggests a private life of great aesthetic refinement, where luxury was not ostentatious, but rather the discreet elegance of a terrace overlooking the Mediterranean under an immaculate blue sky.

- Image size unframed: 54 x 45 cm / 62 x 53 cm with exclusive custom frame.