View of Paris and the Clock Tower painted by Iwoa Haguinoya (1881-1979)

Very pretty winter view of the banks of the Seine in Paris painted by the Japanese artist Iwoa Haguinoya (1881-1979) around 1920. Original oil on canvas, signed lower right "Haguinoya" Dimensions: 33 ), 40 X 54 cm (with frame). Golden frame with scrolled shapes. Following the model of the artists of the Paris school, such as Léonard Foujita, Haguinoya left his native Japan to settle in Paris, and benefit from the intellectual ferment which characterized, in this first half of the 20th century, the world capital of art. There, Haguinoya specializes in picturesque views of the banks of the Seine. Here, we recognize the Clock Tower of the Palais de la Cité, on the left, and the Pont au Change, in the distance. In the foreground, the quays of the Seine, bustling with a steam barge and a wash boat, welcome a few onlookers. The characters are sketched with a confident gesture. Haguinoya uses a free and fiery touch, heir to the avant-gardes. He adopts an innovative angle of view, with a perspective emphasized by means of the clear diagonals which outline the banks of the Seine on either side of the composition. The effect thus obtained is reminiscent of the plunging perspectives of Albert Marquet, of whom Paris was one of the favorite subjects. The palette is made up of muted tones, with its gradients of browns, grays and whites. The line is pure and simplified. With an astonishing economy of means, the artist delivers a moving representation of the Paris of yesteryear.

Ref. : 6JJ5V4DA