TEFAF ONLINE 2021

TEFAF ONLINE

September 8 - 13, 2021

Arnoldi-Livie is pleased to participate in the second edition of TEFAF Online.
Focused on Art for the Collector, our presentation brings together three characteristic landscapes by French artists from 1800 to 1920:

GEORGES MICHEL

 A view of rural Montmartre in early winter

ALEXANDRE DECAMPS 

A hunter in a quarry near the artists’ colony Fontainebleau

ANDRÉ DERAIN

A road in the Albano Mountains leading to the papal summer residence Castel Gandolfo.

Places of Encounter

Three landscapes by French artists are the focus of our attention here. Georges Michel, Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps and André Dérain invite us to go out into the world and expand our horizons.
Each of the three artists evokes famous places in their work: Michel the as yet unincorporated Montmartre, seen here in winter and from its wild side facing away from Paris, Decamps the forest and quarry located near the Fontainebleau artists' colony, and Dérain the picturesque road in the Albano Mountains leading to the papal summer residence Castel Gandolfo.
With spontaneous and confident brushstrokes, the artists render the mountains, rock formations, hills and vegetation. The subtle effects of light and shadow, as well as the cloudy skies, convey a grand, even majestic overall impression, making one forget sparse human traces. All three works convey the wonderfully balanced feeling of peace that not even Decamps’ hunters can disturb.
Impressively, each of the three artists implies that only the way, the road, allows exchange and social gathering. In Michel's case it goes to bright heights, in Descamps' from the depths of the forest to a stony, bare landscape, while in Dérain's, fringed by pines, it is harmoniously inserted into nature. Human gaze precedes every movement: the three images also remind us of this.
Paths allow encounter and have always been metaphors of human desires. Walking allows man to concentrate his spiritual forces and to collect himself. That is why they play such an important role in landscape art and allow the viewer to explore the depth of the picture and indulge in imaginary travel.
Are not also art fairs and exhibitions, de facto landscapes with ways to bring together collectors, enthusiasts, dealers, experts and students? Do they not also create communication, exchange, dialogue, discussion and are thus eminently important components of our collecting culture?
For this reason, we can even see in the three landscapes expressive symbols of the art of collecting and we hope that even in digital times, exchange is possible and Aristotle is right when he sees in coexistence with others the basic determination of man.

David Mandrella, 2021