The Smoke, 1903

Description of the artwork

Our painting comes from the collection of Gabriel Frizeau, who acquired it directly from his close friend Charles Lacoste even before it was exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants in 1904. It was exhibited again at the Galerie Druet, which presented its first exhibition entirely devoted to the Bordeaux painter in January 1905.

The painter's focus on light in the early 1900s is perfectly illustrated in this work. On the railway bridge crossing the Garonne, a train is at one with the building in the same blue line that outlines the horizon. Smoke billows from the train, disappearing into a pink and gold sky radiant with the rays of a fiery sun. In the foreground, the river vibrates with intense reflections accentuated by sharp, jerky relief, while the contours of the city are outlined in sinuous shades of mauve and blue.

Origin

Gabriel Frizeau Collection and descendants

Literature

Frédéric Chappey "The work of Charles Lacoste (1870 - 1959)". Master's thesis, Université Paris X-Nanterre, 1981, described under no. 256A