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Henry Moret 1856-1913 Pont Aven, c.1895 Signed 'Henry Moret' lower right Oil on canvas 33 ½ x 31 5 ⁄ 8 in, 85 x 80.3 cm Provenance Hammer Galleries, New York (inventory no. C 24792-1) Private Collection, Canada Born in Cherbourg in 1856, Henry Moret trained under Jean-Léon Gérôme and Jean-Paul Laurens. Drawn to the creative ferment of Pont Aven, he arrived there in 1888 and soon joined the circle surrounding Paul Gaugin, whose radical ideas of Synthetism profoundly shaped his early work. In particular, he formed a close friendship with Gustave Loiseau and Maxime Maufra. They travelled, painted and exhibited together, which led to a lifelong respect and support for each other's work. Moret settled in Pont Aven for the rest of his life, dedicated to capturing the spirit of this coastal province. By the mid-1890s, under the representation of the famed dealer Paul Durand-Ruel, Moret's style evolved. He created a distinct harmony between Synthetism and Impressionism, with his brushwork growing and more atmospheric, and his palette brighter and more harmoniously balanced. This is exemplified in Pont Aven. The composition radiates light and colour, the landscape rendered in vivid strokes that convey both structure and movement. Here, Moret captures the lyrical spirit of Brittany, the play of light over land and water, while retaining the bold chromatic contrasts learned from Gauguin's circle. Pont Aven embodies Moret's unique achievement: the successful union of avant-garde colour theory with the emotive naturalism of Impressionism. Works from this period are among the most sought-after in his oeuvre, reflecting the full flowering of his artistic identity and his enduring devotion to the Breton landscape. 10