Edmond Yarz (1845-1920) - The watering hole

Oil on canvas signed lower right
Dimensions : H. 53 x W. 72 cm (with frame : H. 84 x W. 103 cm)

Edmond Yarz, born in 1845 in Toulouse, is one of those painters of the end of the 19th century whose talent has not been recognized at its true value. At the School of Fine Arts in Toulouse, Edmond Yarz was taught for some time by Dominique Baron, an excellent academic painter, but who did not perceive the great aptitude of his pupil to follow the impressionist movement of the time. Edmond Yarz will therefore learn alone "by following the school of nature", and realize superb landscapes. "The roses and silver of the morning, the fires of the evening are never repeated for those who know how to admire them well" he declares. Edmond Yarz travels south in search of powerful but varied lights, from Venice to Morocco, from Provence to the Pyrenees. He brilliantly captures this light with subtle and fine touches of paint. His color palette is very nuanced, his work is precise.

Unfortunately, Yarz's travels are dictated by his passion, not his career. He almost always stayed away from Paris where he would have certainly taken part in the Impressionist salons and met with the success he would have deserved. He was however noticed with the only painting he presented at the Salon before 1893 and which was immediately acquired by the French state. "Crépuscule" an oil on canvas measuring 43cm by 61cm, is today kept by the Musée d'Orsay.

OUR PAINTING depicts a body of water surrounded by trees, with a watering hole as the center of the composition. The clarity of the watering hole contrasts with the misty treatment of the winter landscape. The mauve tones are infinitely nuanced, and are wonderfully complementary to the greens and ochres of the leaves. The reflection of the trees on the still water, admirably realized, gives this living nature a great quietude. This painting of beautiful size is in perfect condition. It is on its original canvas and stretcher, and it is presented in its beautiful wooden frame and gilded stucco, most certainly also original.