26. PERICLES PANTAZIS (1849-1884) Art & décoration

Description

26. PERICLES PANTAZIS (1849-1884) Le phare de Marseille signé « Pantazis » (en bas à gauche) huile sur toile 72 x 112,5 cm. (28.3 × 44.3 in.) Peint c. 1881 Provenance Gaston Heux Collection (homme de lettres, honorary secretary of the group Pour l' Art) Bonhams, London, Greek Sale of 11 May 2004, lot 31. Acquired from the above sale by the present owner. Exhibitions Antwerp, Salon d'Anvers, Exposition Nationale des Artistes Vivants, August 13, 1882, no, 1041 (listed in the exhibition catalogue, p, 145). Literature G. Drakopoulou, Pericles Pantazis in the Context of 19th Century Belgian Painting, dissertation thesis, Athens 1982, p. 144 (listed), p. 151 (mentioned). O. Mentzafou-Polyzou (ed.), Pericles Pantazis 1849-1884, Evangelos Averoff-Tositsas Foundation, Athens 1994, no. 46, p. 200 (catalogued). Ta Nea tis Technis newspaper, no. 128, June-August 2004, p. 27 (illustrated). First exhibited alongside Manet's famous Bar aux Folies-Bergère at the prestigious Salon d'Anvers of 1882, Le phare de Marseille was begun in 1880, during Pantazis's last visit to Marseille, and was completed the following year in Brussels. Painted at the height of the artist's creative powers, it illustrates both the culmination and completion of his artistry, showcasing confidence of design, plasticity of brushwork, and subtlety of composition. Le phare de Marseille marks an important stage in the work of Pantazis: the discovery of the Mediterranean light. His palette brightened up, liberating his art from the constraints of the past. Distancing himself from the influences of Gustave Courbet, he immersed himself in those of Edouard Manet and Eugène Boudin, whose works he profoundly admired. He clearly adopted Boudin's artistic motto: "We must aim for greater purity, greater brightness and greater subtlety." In the manner of most Impressionist painters who drew new artistic thrills from the Mediterranean experience, Pantazis reinvented his artistic expression when he came into contact with the particular light of Marseille. One of his letters from the city, addressed to painter Guillaume Vogels in 1880, is revealing of the new pursuits in his art: "I have begun to work here, but it is very strange. Everyone knows that Marseille is not the North. Yet the atmosphere is very different, as one realises when wanting to capture an exact impression. I have with me some Brussels studies. From time to time, I make the comparison. The difference is really extraordinary. My Belgian studies seem to me vibrant and integrated, whereas my studies here are both blinding and dull... What is complicated here is the paleness that exists despite the brightness. It is very difficult, but I will try my best to bring with me some faithful studies." This enchantment with the Mediterranean atmosphere and light represented a real challenge for Pantazis, just as they did for all Impressionist artists. But in contrast to Monet, Renoir, and Pissarro, who dissolved objects in the light, Pantazis, in the manner of Manet, solidified and accentuated such juxtapositions through intensity of colour. To a sky littered with delicate nuances of pastel greys and blues, he responded with a sea resplendent in tones of blue both rich and deep.