Large oak or oaks near a road - Georges MICHEL (1778-1843)

Georges MICHEL (1763-1843)
The Big Oak or Oaks near a Road ;

Oil on canvas
65 x 82 cm.

Circa 1830

Bibliography :

- Galerie Durand-Ruel. Recueil d'estampes gravées à l'eau-forte. Paris, London, Brussels, Maison Durand-Ruel, 1873, plate no. 188,
- Alfred Sensier, Étude sur Georges Michel, Paris, Lemerre, 1873, no. 54, “Un gros arbre à trois cépées, Près d'un chemin sablonneux, dans l'ombre, à droite chaumières, fonds en vigueur. Stormy sky, bright rain, fierce execution. À. M. Durand-Ruel, engraved by the Rat",
- Archives photographiques Durand-Ruel, Paris, under no. 4462.

Provenance:

Presumably acquired at the sale of the artist's studio, 1842, by M. de Villars, Paris,
Acquired from the latter by Paul Durand-Ruel (1931-1922), Paris, May 18, 1872,
Acquired from the latter by Nissim, comte de Camondo (1830- 1889), Paris, October 7, 1873,
Acquired from the latter by Paul Durand-Ruel, Paris, September 18, 1877,
Sale “The Durand-Ruel Collection of French Paintings”, Moore's Art Galleries, New York, May 5-6, 1887, lot 82 “An oak”, sold for $550 to an anonymous collector,
Anonymous private collection, USA,
Acquired by Helen Kendall Ladd Corbett (1859-1936), Portland (Oregon), in 1912,
Donated by Mrs. Corbett's heirs to the Portland Museum of Art (Oregon), 1936,
Portland Museum of Art collection, inv. 36.94
Included by the Portland Museum of Art in its Deaccession List, in 2021
Bonham's Los Angeles sale, “Home & Interiors”, February 1, 2023, as “Attributed to Michel George-Michel (1886-1985), a Landscape”.
Private collection, France

Restless Nature is the central subject of this painting, with the intention of depicting a sky where everyone can identify an emotion. Michel was known for his depictions of Montmartre, and was nicknamed the "Ruisdael of Montmartre". Windmills, symbolizing poetry for the artist, are present in the majority of his works. In "Le Gros Chêne", the central tree replaces the windmills and builds the link between heaven and earth, evoking a tumultuous relationship between the two under the effect of the wind. The light-dark nuances maintain the demonstration of a restless nature and lend the landscape a particular spirituality.

The drawing features dynamic strokes that were to inspire Van Gogh. Michel uses Ruisdael's codes for skies and fine glazes, while bringing a modernity with a more differentiated work of matter and a more crepuscular, romantic vision of his time. A pioneer of motif painting with Taunay and Bruandet, Michel gave landscapes a spirituality, prefiguring the Barbizon school. Passionate about his art, Michel painted for himself, which contributed to his being forgotten during his lifetime, before a posthumous revival thanks to Paul Durand-Ruel, the famous gallery owner.

A long-forgotten artist, Michel was rediscovered in a 2018 exhibition at the Fondation Custodia.
His friend and major influence, Lazare Bruandet, had a tumultuous life, influencing Michel with his depictions of the heavens. Michel was also influenced by Jacob van Ruisdael, whose nickname he bears. Van Gogh considered him a master, mentioning him in letters to his brother. Paul
Durand-Ruel defended Michel after his death, recognizing his role as a transition between the ancient and the modern in landscape painting.

Michel belonged to the Romantic movement and landscape painting, bridging the gap between the Dutch Golden Age and the Impressionists. He reacted against academicism with a new vision of landscape. Paul Durand-Ruel distinguishes three periods in Michel's work: a first period influenced by his master Michel Taunay, a first emancipation with sketches on blue cigarette paper, and a second emancipation characterized by a more nervous, thicker brushstroke, inspiring Van Gogh.

Michel's other works include "Vue du Moulin près de Montmartre" and small drawings on blue paper, as well as "Les ruines antiques de Taunay". It should be noted that his paintings are almost never signed, a detail that in no way detracts from their value, as evidenced by the success of
"Gros Chêne" at the sale of the Durand-Ruel collection, outbidding works by Sisley, Degas, Boudin and Renoir.