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Lot #557
Charles Francois Daubigny

Casting harsh criticism on the Salon: “There are still some good paintings but they are rare”

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Description

Casting harsh criticism on the Salon: “There are still some good paintings but they are rare”

Painter of the Barbizon school considered an important precursor of Impressionism (1817–1878). ALS in French, signed “C. Daubigny,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 5.25 x 8, no date. Letter to painter Louis-Augustin Auguin, offering compliments for his two paintings and continuing (translated): “I am very wild and am now no longer on the panel. I was often in conflict with colleagues and cliques of the institute and the school, so that I broke…with the official artistic side. They are absurd regulations castrating the bold. It must be painted in a way to be received. They opposed this time…the bulk of the paintings in the exhibition…well there are still some good paintings but they are rare.” Several lines in another hand have been penned at the conclusion. In fine condition, with central vertical and horizontal folds, a small tear to the upper right corner, and light show-through from writing to opposing sides. This letter may refer to Daubigny’s tumultuous relationship with the Salon, where he first served as a juror in 1865 but resigned in protest when Pissarro and Cezanne’s works were rejected. This pattern would continue throughout the years—he resigned again in 1870 after one of Monet’s submissions was declined, and did the same in 1875 after becoming frustrated with the Salon jury’s rigid standards. Excellent content from one painter to another, remarking on his own artistic taste and touching upon the infighting in the French artistic world. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA.

Auction Info

  • Auction Title: Fine Autographs and Artifacts
  • Dates: #450 - Ended April 15, 2015





This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
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