Emile Othon Friesz (1879-1949) Orchards In Saint-paul De Vence, Circa 1923

Orchards in Saint-Paul de Vence, circa 1923
Oil on canvas: 62 x 51 cm
Signed lower left "E. Othon Friesz"
Annotated on the back "Saint-Paul de Vence"

Emile Othon Friesz stands out at the Salon d ' Autumn in 1905 (with Matisse and Marquet), thanks to his canvases and in particular to his flat areas of bright and juxtaposed colors. It is the beginning of the production of Fauvism, of which Othon Friesz will be one of the most brilliant representatives with his series of Mediterranean landscapes. However, in 1907, Othon Friesz moved away from Fauvism, despite the commercial success of this movement, to adopt a style closer to Cézanne, with a palette whose chromatic strength would be more attenuated. His art bends towards an accentuated naturalism, which is expressed through landscapes, most of which are located in the south of France. Our painting is the perfect demonstration of this, in fact the colors are no longer as vivid as in his fawn period, when the touch he uses here to animate this composition brings a more structured feeling worthy of the Cézanian tradition. We date our work around 1923, a period in which the artist travels to the south, painting a large number of paintings mainly in the vicinity of Toulon. Saint Paul de Vence, a small picturesque village, became a high place frequented by artists from the beginning of the 20th century, including Dufy and Braque with whom Friesz forged friendships from the Fauve period. It is certainly not by chance that Friesz comes to discover Saint Paul de Vence but probably under the wise advice of his friends; who also painted the village in this same period. We have perfectly located the place where the painting was painted, it is the Rue de Fangas, bordered by the ramparts of Saint Paul de Vence.