Auguste Herbin (1882-1960)

At the height of his Fauvist period, in the spring of 1907, Auguste Herbin travelled to Corsica. There, he executed sixteen known compositions representing the surrounding landscapes and streetscapes which so inspired him, of which the present work, La Maison, Corse, is a striking example. The glowing sunlight and tranquil vistas of Corsica offered Herbin an ideal setting for his experimentations with form and colour, while he undoubtedly received equal inspiration from the colourful people with whom he encountered there. It was Herbin’s friend, Wilhelm Uhde, the German art collector, dealer, critic and author, who had invited the artist to visit the island. During his stay he also became acquainted with Erich Mühsam, a German-Jewish anarchist essayist, poet and playwright, whose portrait he would paint later that year. In the present work, Herbin presents a quotidian scene, with the cobbled pavement and modest house typical of a Corsican backstreet; the simplicity of the composition perfectly contrasts with the artist’s saturated palette and energetic brushwork, which animate the stillness of the scene.