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Maxime Maufra 1861-1918 L'étang au soleil levant, Bretagne, 1915 Signed 'Maufra' lower right and titled 'L'étang au soleil levant, Bretagne' verso Oil on canvas 23 7 ⁄ 8 x 29 in, 60.6 x 73.7 cm Provenance Private Collection, France Durand-Ruel, Paris (acquired from the above in 1930) Private Collection, France (acquired c. 2016) with Jody Klotz Fine Art, Texas Private Collection, Switzerland (acquired from the above in 2018) Private Collection, Switzerland Exhibitions Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, Maufra 1861-1918, 5 – 19 April 1930, no. 67 Literature C. Durand-Ruel Godfroy, Catalogue critique Maxime Maufra, no. 274 (online catalogue raisonné) "As a landscape painter, I painted everything that moved me, delving into nature, trying to render the character of what attracted me and to put into my work the emotion I felt." – Maxime Maufra Maxime Maufra was born in Nantes, southern France. He began painting aged 18, but only became a full time artist over a decade later. A visit to England in 1882 introduced him to the work of Turner and Constable which left a lasting impression and most certainly impacted his decision to focus upon landscape painting. Famed for his landscapes and seascapes Maufra travelled extensively across France and beyond, but is best known for his depictions of Brittany, the subject of this work. In L'étang au soleil levant, Bretagne Maufra depicts the warm hue of the setting sun blazing across the landscape. In line with Impressionist colour theory, Maufra applies a controlled colour palette that ties the painting together in unison. The pinks of the sky seen in the grass and the purple of the hills in the horizon sing to the trees in the foreground. Here, Maufra's distinctive style of short fragmented brushstrokes build up layers upon layers of colour and convey a sense of movement across the scene. Maufra's paintings are in a number of public museums including Tate, London (The Embankment of Lagny under Flood Water, 1908) and Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza (Entrance to the Port on Port-Goulphar, Belle-Île-en Mer, 1909). 18