catalog text
ALFRED ARTHUR BRUNEL DE NEUVILLE (FRENCH, 1851-1941)
In oil on canvas | signed lower left "Brunel Neuville"
Item # 007OZB30K
A moody Realism work with a truly Academic approach to shadow, color composition and proportion, this fine still-life depicts in a vivid palette an overflowing basket of red and white grapes, many of these spilled upon the soil and hints of grass before a shallow basket stacked high with ripe peaches divided by peach leaves. The background is bleary and the complexity of color does little to suggest the setting, though these are presumably resting on the ground before a stone wall. It is signed in his typical clear script lower left "Brunel Neuville" and is housed in a gorgeous burnished gilt frame. It is a truly exquisite image in a rather large but standard size canvas for Brunel de Neuville. A review of his sale results from the Benezit shows a certain preference for this canvas size, which presents his fruits dramatically and allows the depth and complexity of color to be beautifully showcased.
The images of the reverse are taken before protective panels are applied to the stretchers - the received painting will have a white-panel finished back and fresh wire, ready for placement.
ALFRED ARTHUR BRUNEL DE NEUVILLE
Born in Paris in 1851, Alfred Brunel de Neuville studied painting under his father, an artist and tutor of landscape and still-life painting. He began exhibiting at the Salon des Artistes Français in Paris starting in 1879 with Pommes et Raisin at the age of twenty-seven; he followed this up in 1880 with a well-received scene of kittens: Halte de Chasse. He continued to regularly exhibit there through 1909, being made an associate member in 1907.
His work was well-regarded and he saw success during his lifetime. However, while his still-life work was well-regarded, the bulk of his commercial success is owed to the incredible popularity of his paintings of cats. Most of these center around the heartwarming and playful lives of kittens in domestic settings. During the Industrial Revolution, as the work force became urbanized and more of the people began keeping dogs and cats as pets in their smaller homes, the demand for subjects of domesticated animals and pets became substantial and gave rise to this full genre of work. This was of great benefit to Brunel de Neuville and he became a master of the moods of these kittens as they played in the kitchen, drank bowls of milk, tumbled with yarn or otherwise interacted.
Alfred died in 1941 and was buried in Paris at the Montmarte Cemetery. His work is held in major museum collections around the world, including Still-Life at Béziers, Peaches, Grapes and Redcurrants on a Table at Brest, Still-Life at Château-Thierry and Oysters and Prawns at Louviers.
Artist Listings & Further Reading:
- E. Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Vol. II, Gründ, 2006, p. 1376-77
Measurements: 25 3/4" H x 36 3/8" W [canvas]; 33 1/4" H x 43 7/8" W x 2 1/2" D [frame]
Condition Report:
Early frame in excellent condition. Relined. Under UV showing flares of a newer varnish with spots of touch up around the extreme edges of the canvas and a few scattered touchups. A very fine presentation.