Paul Sérusier, founder of the Nabi, set in motion a general movement of protest against the strict observance of nature espoused by the Impressionists. Through his expressive use of simplified forms and vibrant color, he paved the path toward abstraction in the twentieth century.
In 1893 Sérusier discovered Châteauneuf-du-Faou, a small town in Brittany not yet frequented by tourists. There he remained, finally building his own house in 1906. The view seen here is likely that which Sérusier enjoyed from his atelier window. In his landscapes from this period, color and rhythm are paramount. He subtly repeats the forms of the three cows in the clustered greenery that tops the outline of each receding hillock.
Details
- Artist Name: Paul Sérusier (French, 1864-1927)
- Title: Synchromy in Yellow
- Date: 1900-1913, or 1915
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 32 x 21-1/2 in. (81.3 x 54.6 cm)
- Credit Line: Norton Simon Art Foundation, Gift of Jennifer Jones Simon
- Accession Number: M.2008.1.2.P
- Copyright: © Norton Simon Art Foundation
Object Information
Mme. Paul (Marguerite) Sérusier (d. 1950), still in 1932.
Marcel Guérin (d. 1948) by 1942.
(sale, London, Sotheby Parke Bernet, 8 April 1976, lot 214, ill., as Synchromie en Jaune, to);
Norton Simon, by bequest to;
Jennifer Jones Simon Art Trust, gift 2008 to;
Norton Simon Art Foundation.
Exposition d'art français au Japon
- Tokyo, Sankyo Building, 1927-07 to
Exposition artistique de Quimper
- Quimper, Musée des Beaux-Arts, 1932 to
Hommage à Sérusier et aux peintres du groupe de Pont-Avon
- Quimper, Musée des Beaux-Arts, 1958-07 to 1958-09
The Nabis
- Norton Simon Museum, 1992-09-24 to 1993-07-18
- Brettell, Richard R. and Stephen F. Eisenman, Nineteenth-Century Art in the Norton Simon Museum, volume 1, 2006,
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1330 p. 395
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