Henry MORET (Cherbourg, 1856 - Paris, 1913) A valley in Nevez, Finistère - 1909 Oil on canvas Signed and dated 'Henry Moret 09' lower left An old label titled and dated on the reverse A valley in Nevez, Finistère, oil on canvas, signed and dated, by H. Moret 21.26 x 25.59 in. 54 x 65 cm Provenance: Artist's studio ; Galerie Durand-Ruel, Paris, a label with the number '9049' on the reverse (acquired from the latter on 24 May 1909); Collection C.M. Paul (Continental Gall) (acquired from the latter on 1 June 1959); To the present owner by successive transfers; Private collection, France We would like to thank the Durand-Ruel Archives for the information they kindly provided. Henry Moret's two works, Roches de Pern à Ouessant and Une vallée en Nevez, Finistère were painted in Brittany between 1903 and 1905. During this period, Henry Moret spent a large part of his time in Celtic lands, where he painted seascapes, rocky coasts and countryside scenes. His Breton landscapes are bathed in a soft but intense light, characterised by the use of touches of pure colour, allowing the visual impression to take precedence over the exact fidelity of reality. Moret, aware of the very particular and changing light conditions in Brittany, sought to convey the effects of light on the natural elements - water, sky, rocks, vegetation - through the play of contrasts and chromatic harmonies, made possible by a great deal of freedom in the use of his palette. He introduced vivid colours, blues, yellows and greens, as seen in his depiction of the sea in Roches de Pern, Ouessant. The sun's rays are reflected in the sea, which is adorned in shades of blue that can also be seen on the edges of the rocks. The play and nuances of colour are even more obvious in Une vallée en Nevez, Finistère, where the artist chooses a palette full of variations of pink and violet, found in both the sky and the Breton countryside. His paintings, whether of seascapes or countryside scenes, highlight the interaction between light and nature, with transitions of colour and clean, dynamic strokes. Through his seascapes and countryside scenes, Moret also sought to convey a contemplative, almost spiritual side to his depiction of nature. He doesn't just reproduce it, but captures the emotion and poetry that emerge from it. His landscapes can be seen as invitations to reflect on the immensity of the sea or the tranquil beauty of the Breton countryside. In this respect, he is a faithful disciple of Claude Monet, a fact that Paul Durand-Ruel understood well enough to make Henry Moret one of the colts of the Impressionist gallery. Henry MORET (Cherbourg, 1856 - Paris, 1913) 54 x 65 cm We would like to thank the Durand-Ruel Archives for the information they kindly provided. Henry Moret's two works, Roches de Pern à Ouessant and Une vallée en Nevez, Finistère were painted in Brittany between 1903 and 1905. During this period, Moret spent much of his time in these Celtic lands, where he painted seascapes, rocky coasts and the countryside. His Brittany landscapes are luminous, characterised by the use of touches of pure colour, allowing the visual impression to take precedence over an exact fidelity to reality. Moret, aware of the very distinctive and ever-changing variations in light in Brittany, sought to depict the effects of this light upon the natural elements - water, sky, rocks, vegetation - through a play of contrasts and chromatic harmonies, made possible by a remarkably free use of his palette. He introduced vivid colours: blues, yellows and greens, as seen in his description of the sea in Roches de Pern à Ouessant. The sun's rays are reflected in the water, which is adorned in shades of blue that can also be seen on the edges of the rocks. The working of the nuances of colour are even more obvious in Une Vallée en Nevez, Finistère, where the artist chooses a palette full of variations of pink and violet that he uses in both the sky and the landscape. His paintings, whether seascapes or landscapes, emphasise the interplay between light and nature, with transitions of colour and clean, dynamic brushstrokes. Through his coastal and inland views, Moret also sought to convey a contemplative, almost spiritual side to his rendering of nature. He does not simply reproduce it, but captures the emotion and poetry that emerge from it. His paintings can be seen as invitations to reflect on the immensity of the sea or the tranquil beauty of the Brittany countryside. In this respect, he is a faithful disciple of Claude Monet, a fact that Paul Durand-Ruel understood well enough to make Henry Moret one of the protégés of his gallery of Impressionist painters.